Byakko, The Hand that Heals
by Taeron
Summary: With these eyes you shall see the suffering of the world, and with these hands, you shall heal it.
1. The Hand that Heals

Alright, so, KotS is not on Hiatus or anything, but since I've been reading a lot of younger Naruto fics, I decided I'd give my own go at something. It may quickly go to older ninja status, but we'll have to see.

Now, for you enjoyment, Byakko!

Byakko: White/Spiritual fox

Disclaimer: Yes, Kami hates me, so I don't own Naruto.

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Byakko  
Prelude  
The Hand that Heals

Fear surrounded it like a living thing.

The small red creature cowered in the corner as the two brutish hounds stalked down the alley towards it, followed by two laughing men. It tried to curl up, but the wound on it's side pulled painfully, causing it to whimper and lay flat, awaiting it's doom. This was the way of the world it knew, those who had no strength ha to rely on cunning and luck, and it had just run out of both.

Konohagakure was probably one of the most dangerous places for a fox to live, considering the fact that anything that slightly resembled the Kyuubi was hunted down and killed. This particular specimen had been living under the foundation of a small apartment, not two blocks away. The fox had tried to escape, but the two dogs had smelled him, and he was unwilling to lead them back to his den.

So here he was, trapped, waiting for death to come with swift, steely jaws and cruel hands. His pelt would probably be made into a decoration for someone's lady, or perhaps some gloves. He slumped at the thought of his beautiful coat being savaged by those beasts, then turned into something that would be used by the barbaric humans that hunted him.

The dogs howled and charged, bearing down on the small creature, before a whistle stopped them. They skidded to a stop just in front of the fox, waiting for their master to give the command. The larger of the men turned to his companion, confused.

"Why don't you let them kill the beast?" he asked, confused.

"Are you kidding? Do you know what a fox's pelt is worth these days? If I let those dogs tear it up, we would be out of a decent sum of money." The other replied, pulling a knife, "But if we get it intact, we could earn a great deal more."

"I see your point... Why don't you break it's neck?"

"That's the plan baka."

"Hey!"

The two men started bickering, and the hounds began to lose interest in the fox, knowing that their master wasn't going to allow them to eat it right now. They settled down a few feet away, turning to watch their master argue with the 'big guy,' as they thought of him.

On the rooftop above a boy in an orange 'kill me' jumpsuit looked down with disgust, and fear, at the two men who were planning to kill the fox. Naruto hated pain, seeing as how he received a constant dose of it every day, whether it be mental or physical, and he was barely holding himself back from jumping down there and trying to attack the two men. Of course, such an act would be foolish. Naruto was only ten years old, and although smart for his age, spent most of his time pranking, which wasn't a very muscle building activity, unless you count speed. In that case, he was a number one candidate for ninja of the year.

Naruto pulled a length of ninja wire which he always carried with him out of his pocket. He attached it to a cracked tile on the roof and dropped it down. Pulling on a pair of black gloves, he shimmied down the rope, silent and unseen. There was little to no wind in the alley, and the refuse which was piled within it was enough to blunt the dogs sense of smell and prevent them from noticing Naruto while they watched to two men fight.

Naruto let go with his hands, gripping his legs tightly to the wire, then lowered himself upside down next to the fox. The fox bared it's teeth at him, but kept silent, somehow sensing something was going on. The boy smelled of fox, something that he had never heard of in a human. And not just any fox, probably a den leader of some sort.

Naruto put a shushing finger to his mouth and grabbed the fox around the waist, trying carefully not to further damage the creature's side. Of course, the fingers of a ten year old are very dextrous, but nowhere near the precision of an experienced medic nin. Shortly after he began to lift up the fox, it let loose a pained yowl, blood seeping through Naruto's hands.

The two men and dogs turned, seeing Uzumaki Naruto hanging upside down from a rope, attempting to steal their prey. The dogs snarled, and their owner gave a sharp whistle. The two dogs charged.

Naruto swept the fox into his hands, then drew upon his abundant chakra reserves to pull himself up. Naruto had learned the trick of focusing chakra into parts of your body to strengthen them ever since he had been able to walk. Mostly to get away from abusive villagers, and sometimes, vengeful gennin. Naruto tried his best not to harass the older ninjas, at least not until he was nine, at which point he could run and hide better than most chuunin.

Naruto's hands clamped down on the roof, just as one of the dogs snatched his leg. Naruto yelled in pain, kicking with his other foot, trying not to let his child's muscles give way under the strain of the hundred pound dog hanging from his leg. A lucky shot to the nose caused the dog to fall away, taking some flesh and blood with it. Naruto winced, but pain was nothing new to him, he had run with worse, and gotten away too.

Of course, he hadn't been running from dogs before, mostly drunkards.

Naruto pulled himself up and dashed over the rooftops, unconciously pulled his ninja wire after him and heading for the relative safety of his apartment. He leaped from roof to roof, silently thanking Iruka for the all his physical development training. Of course, during such grueling exercises, Naruto could often be heard cursing the man's very existence.

Naruto leaped from a roof into a small pond, still holding a now yowling fox. The fox was very young, probably about a year in age, and was easily overpowered by Naruto, who continued to hold it. He surfaced immediately and climbed out, soaking wet, but safe in the fact that the dogs wouldn't be able to follow his scent now. He was never able to do so after someone went for a swim, so he assumed that dogs would be similarly affected.

He charged forward, only to run smack into the back of a large burly man. The man turned, regarding Naruto with disgust. He gave the boy a solid kick, and was about to turn away when he spotted the fox. His eyes widened for a second, before he narrowed them, kicking Naruto again.

"Whatcha got there gaki?" He asked, his voice deep and angry, "Been playing with the foxes?"

Naruto shook his head, holding the fox tighter. Another man, this one very skinny, appeared behind Naruto.

"I think Naruto's fox wants to play Morai... what do you think?" he asked, looking at the burly man.

The man smiled, yanking the fox out of Naruto's hands. Naruto cried out and leaped at the man, his small fists slamming into the man's torso. Naruto's chakra aided strength did nothing to the man, he merely laughed and kneed Naruto in the face. A loud crack was heard and Naruto fell back, tears sprining to his eyes as blood began to drip from his nose.

The man grinned evilly and tossed the fox to the ground, where it lay, whimpering in pain. The skinny man walked over, raised his sandal up, and stomped on the creature's body. Snapping sounds filled the area as the little fox's bones broke in several places, leaving it staring glaze eyed into the distance. Not quite dead, but not fully alive anymore.

Naruto cried out, pulling a small knife from his pocket. The man laughed again and back handed the boy, sending him stumbling to the ground, the knife clattering to the nearby sidewalk.

"Don't let us catch you playing with your little friends again Gaki, we know what you're up to, and we won't see our village hurt again." The man said, grabbing his skinny friend and leaving.

They two laughed and chatted about their heroic act as they left Naruto with the fox, both bleeding and in pain.

A couple minutes later, Naruto got up the strength to crawl over to the fox. He placed a hand on it, feeling shallow breathing. He cried now, not for his pain, but for the pain of something innocent. He cried for his anger and his hate at the narrow mindedness of the villagers who would rather kill a living thing than let Naruto have a friend. Naruto wept, and with his tears, something changed.

Deep within the seal, something stirred. A pair of crimson eyes opened, hearing the sobbing of a boy who was his jailor. The prisoner growled slightly, stretching his body within the confines of his cage, then rested his muzzle to the floor, contemplating.

Naruto cried as the fox began to fade, it's life held by no more than a single thread. He tried to pour some ointment on the wounds, but it did nothing but cause the fox to wince. He had no skill as a vet, and was fairly sure that even then, the animal stood no chance of living.

Naruto saw something flicker around the fox. He blinked. What was that?

He saw another flicker, a bluish light surrounded the fox, then faded. Naruto's eyes itched horribly. He rubbed them, then looked at the fox again. a faint, pulsing light surrounded the fox. A pure blue light swirled around it, fading and growing as the fox struggled to hold onto life.

Naruto felt something within his belly growl, and realized that it wasn't his stomach, but something deeper.

'Do you want to save it?' Came a voice.

Naruto nodded, then realized that whoever said that wouldn't have seen it. It seemed to work anyway.

'Then place your hands upon it, and focus the chakra within your body to your hands'

Naruto stared, he had moved a leaf around his forehead with chakra, but this seemed strange, what help would that do? He had no ability with healing techniques, especially with the green chakra that seemed to have that power.

'Just do it!'

Naruto obeyed, placing his hands on the fox's body. The fox whimpered, but Naruto kept his hands in place. He looked deep inside himself, feeling the flow of chakra through his body, the strength of life within. Iruka had once told him that chakra dwelt in all things, and it was what kept us alive.

Now, for some reason, Naruto could feel that power of life acutely. It raged and sang through his blood. He focused his chakra to his hands.

White wisps of energy swirled along his fingers, and Naruto pulled away, before realizing that the light around the fox had grown stronger. He tried again, and this time, the wisps slowly grew to a steady glow, encompassing the small creature.

Naruto stared in awe as the fox's breath stabilized, then gazed in wonder as the bones began to knit before his very eyes. The gash on the creature's side closed, leaving no scar, and the missing patched of fur returned, strong and healthy.

The fox turned it's gaze upon Naruto, then did something very strange. It bowed.

Naruto looked strangely at the fox, then noticed his hands were still glowing. He quickly stopped the flow of chakra to his hands, wondering at what he had just done.

Then the fox opened it's mouth, and nearly made Naruto faint.

"Thank you Byakko. I am forever in your debt." The fox said.

Naruto fell over backwards.

"Wh... what did you say?" He asked.

"I thanked you o' White one."

"How... How can I understand you?" Naruto asked, his voice wavering.

The fox gave him... well, a foxy grin, "You are a Byakko, you can understand all foxes."

Naruto stared, then grinned, "That's awesome!"

The fox smiled, "I see you are new to the mantle. If you should need any help, just talk to a fox and show it those eyes, they will help you. But for now, I must return to my mate."

Naruto stared after the fox as it dashed away.

"Hah, to think, a Byakko in a place such as this. What luck!" Naruto heard it as it ran away.

Naruto stared after the fox. This was going to be interesting. He contemplated telling the old man, but then realized that it would be much funnier if he surprised him. Yes, much more interesting.

Naruto got up, wincing in pain at his wounds. He glance down at them and noticed that they were already healing. In fact, his face no longer hurt.

Incredible!

Naruto whistled a happy tune, ignoring the looks the villagers gave him as he returned to his apartment. There was nothing that could ruin his mood now. He was awesome!

As Naruto drifted off to sleep that night, he thought about that voice, the fox, and most of all, his new ability. From what Iruka had said, medical techniques were the very hardest to learn, and required a nin with very precise chakra control, not to mention large enough reserves to be able to perform multiple healings.

From that moment forward, Naruto made a pact with himself. Using this new power, he would become stronger, and show everyone that he was the greatest. In fact, he would show them that he would become...

The Hokage!

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Okay, so it's kinda slow right now. Bear with me. Rar


	2. The Gift

Woohooo! Updates. I'm really excited. I've been having some major issues with my ability to update, and I was finally able to write another chapter. It's not as long as I would like it to be, but I still think it should be ok for now.

KotS should be up by tonight or tomorrow.

I don't own Naruto... sadly.

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Byakko  
Chapter 1  
The Gift

Naruto read.

The day after his encounter with the fox, Naruto had gone to the library. It had taken him another two weeks to finally gain entrance, having to finally sneak in instead of risking the wrath of the current denizens. Another two weeks was spent meticulously going through the chakra studies, history books, and some other fascinating titles that he caught sight of. However, he finally hit gold when he came across a book dealing with ancient legends. He skimmed through it until coming to the section on Kitsune, and immediately felt that he was getting somewhere, and sure enough, there was a small section for the word Byakko.

_The Byakko are legendary creatures, long extinct members of the Kitsune family. Byakko are the spiritual cousins of mortal Kitsune, they are the equivalent of our priests in this day. They served as the healers and spiritual advisers to many great clans, and were revered to the point that even a battling pair of Kitsune would sheathe their weapons and stand aside to let one pass.__  
__  
The Byakko held no one allegiance, but were servants of all Kitsune. They plied their mystical healing craft upon all who sought aid, and never withheld anything from others.__  
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Byakko were typified by their white coats. Most Byakko obtained their fourth tail before venturing forth into the world as wandering priests, retiring upon achieving their seventh or eighth tail to become the mystical leaders of their own communities._

Naruto read a little further, enjoying the exploits of some Byakko, while grimacing at the foolishness of others. Of course, in the end, he still had no idea why the fox had called him Byakko. He certainly wasn't a Kitsune, even if he could heal with the touch of his hands. He put the book up, unsatisfied by the answers he had obtained from it. Of course, it was still more interesting than listening to Iruka drone on about Konoha economics. Skipping class was fun.

Naruto looked at a few more titles. Some of them were actually quite interesting, as long as it wasn't Iruka telling the class about them. Iruka had a way of making even the most interesting topics, like the accomplishments of the Hokages, and the Great Shinobi Wars sound completely dull. Naruto was sure that those ninja in the field never had to flip through a book to compare references to what had happened earlier. No, they survived by their wits, not by a bunch of paper bound together.

Naruto sighed, putting away the book. He had better get back to the academy if he wanted to be in time for physical training. Lectures and written work might be boring, but physical activity was where Naruto shone. Of course, the fact that some of the teachers would weigh the odds against him led many to believe that he was completely hopeless in both areas. Before Iruka had become his sensei, Naruto had often been subjected to tests of physical strength as speed beyond what a genin would be able to do. Mainly, these involved 'sparring' with a teacher, who would thoroughly beat him down, then claim he was a pitiful excuse for a pupil.

Of course, when Naruto had actually hit one of his instructors, it had only gotten worse. So he usually ended up thinking of it as endurance training. If there was one thing Naruto knew he was good at, it was enduring pain.

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he paused briefly to consider the Hokage tower, then dropped to the ground outside the academy. He made use of his excellent stealth skills to make his way into the classroom and take a seat next to the dozing Shikamaru in the back. He knew Iruka never looked back there for answers, as the lazy genius, who although not paying attention, knew all the answers anyway. He seemed to learn better while he was asleep anyway.

Naruto was about to congratulate himself on his awesome skills, when he felt an intimidating presence shift it's focus to him. He looked up and grinned at Iruka, who had taken up a position which allowed him to loom over the loud mouther blond.

"Naruto." He said, smiling that scary smile, "Would you care to tell us the two main components of chakra?"

Naruto's grin faltered, "Uhhhh... let's see, it has chakra... that can... well..."

Iruka sighed, "Body and spirit Naruto."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, that's what I meant."

Naruto had of course known the answer, but he also knew that if he answered correctly, Iruka would hound him for another answer, and another. He knew most of the questions that Iruka would ask, and their answers. He knew all the stuff Iruka was talking about, he had read it long before Iruka even brought it up, but he didn't want to get into a long question-answer streak with his favorite sensei. The man was thorough if nothing else.

Naruto laid his head on the table, and was about to fall asleep, when a chalk duster plunked against his head. He looked up, noting that Iruka was giving him the death glare. He shrugged and put his head down again. Iruka tried to restrain himself, but found a piece of chalk flying at the errant Naruto. Naruto's head flashed up. Chakra enhanced speed flowed through his body as he brought his right hand up, snatching the chalk out of the air. He felt a unimaginable rage well up inside of him, then let fly with the chalk, straight at his teacher's head.

Iruka stared in amazement and barely managed to swat the piece of chalk away from his face. The amazement was quickly replaced with anger.

"Naruto! I expect a report on the uses and theory of chakra in my hands by tomorrow. Got it?" He yelled.

Naruto felt his heart pumping, he could feel that strange anger within him stirring again. He nodded to Iruka and clenched his fists, drawing blood from his palms. The whispers around him weren't helping either.

"Did you see that?"

"He almost hit Sensei..."

Iruka silenced the class, returning to his lecture. Naruto slowly felt the rage within him fade, leaving him exhausted. His right arm hurt from the excessive burst of chakra which he had used to catch the piece of chalk. He stared at his hands in amazement, ignoring the fading sting of his palms. The wounds he had just inflicted on himself were closing up _very_ quickly. White chakra danced over them lazily, only noticed by the kid sitting next to him, Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sidled over slightly, "Hey Naruto... what is that?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know... but my hand feels better."

Shikamaru shrugged, going back to his dozing, "Troublesome."

Of course, Shikamaru was even now running the facts through his head. Fast reflexes, unrelenting regeneration... just what was going on with Naruto? Not even Sasuke could have caught that piece of chalk and hurled it back at their sensei, and he was considered a genius. He decided it was too troublesome to think about now, and went back to sleep. Maybe he would think of something in his dreams. Yes, dreams, that would do the trick.

Naruto scowled at the sleeping boy. How come he got to sleep in class while Naruto was forced to remain awake?

Naruto turned back to Iruka, sighing in defeat. Some people. It looked like it was going to be a long day.

XXXXXX

Naruto stared blearily at the scroll rolled out on his small table. His escapades to the library in search of the reason for his white chakra had proven to have a wealth of information on chakra manipulation, even if they hadn't garnered him anything in the area of his problem. The scroll was only a sentence away from being completed. It would take just a few more words in conclusion to show Iruka that he at least knew what he was talking about. He had omitted a bunch of the things he knew were facts about chakra, and he hadn't even mentioned the white chakra that seemed to flow from his body now. He wasn't sure how Iruka-sensei would react to that, and he wasn't quite ready to let anyone know about his newfound ability.

And then of course there was that voice...

Looking back, Naruto was perfectly certain that he had heard a voice that had told him to reach out and touch the fox's shattered body. Whatever this being was, it seemed to have a certain knowledge about his newfound abilities. That fox he had healed also seemed to know something about his abilities.

"Does everyone but me know about this white chakra thing?" Naruto wondered.

His initial vow to keep this a secret from everyone was beginning to wane as he kept meeting roadblocks on his way to understanding this white chakra. He knew what the word Byakko meant now, but not really how it applied to him. I mean, look at it, he wasn't exactly a fox, and he was pretty darn sure that he hadn't sprouted a tail overnight. There's something about a tail that seems it would be obvious if he had one.

Just to make sure, Naruto turned his head to look at his lower back.

Nope, no tail. Just a boring old human's body.

Naruto gave up those thoughts for now, vowing to think on it later, then wrote in his conclusion, tucking the scroll into his bag and heading to bed. Ah yes, bed, the true haven for those who are tired. Naruto almost trembled in anticipation for sleep, he was feeling even more worn out than usual. He suspected that this white chakra of his was very draining, as this had also happened on the day he had healed the fox. Of course, on that day, he had gotten home, then fallen on his face. Naruto had decided at that time that waking up with the imprint of his cheap carpet on his face wasn't exactly the best thing to have happen to you.

Naruto was about to get settled down when a scratching noise came from his lone, tiny window. He looked up and saw a small sillhouette standing beyond the pane of glass, rubbing it's claws on said surface. Naruto watched it stupidly for a second, then got the thought through his head that he should go open then window. This shape looked suspiciously familiar.

He flipped open the window and his guest blew in on a gust of cold night wind. Naruto quickly shut the window, then surveyed the new arrival. Unless he was mistaken, this was the fox he had saved from the villagers before. It's brown eyes stared up at him, still holding the wonder that they had when they had first met. Naruto was still quite confused at his ability to read the emotions of foxes, heck, he was even able to get the gist of whatever Akamaru was saying at school now.

"Byakko-sama!" The fox cried, bowing as it had before, "I need your help again. I plead with you to come quickly, some villager has tossed a box of rat poison down into my den. My Kits, not knowing what it was, ate it. Now they're all fading quickly. Help me!"

Naruto's eyes shot open. He nodded and quickly threw on his orange jumpsuit.

"Lead the way fox-san."

The fox nodded and leaped back onto the window sill where Naruto let him out. They both leaped into the night, Naruto following the fox who moved with speed borne of desperation. Of course, this was no match for the speed of a ninja, but Naruto was forced to follow him at the slower pace that a natural animal could move.

Within minutes they arrived. Naruto watched as the fox ran into the dugout section of an abandoned building, then returned one by one with five little fox cubs. Each one was mewling pitifully, their coats a sickly color, denoting the posion that was flowing through their veins at the moment.

Naruto knelt down next to them, gathering chakra to his hands. Wisps of white energy danced around them as he placed them upon the first of the fox cubs. The kit instantly stopped complaining, it's coloring returning to normal. Naruto grinned and moved to the next one, satisfied that it would be fine. Of course, as soon as he took his hands off the kit, it began to look sickly again. Naruto stared, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Byakko-sama!" The fox cried pleadingly.

Naruto would have liked to do something, but he had no idea how to stop the poison. The only thing he knew to do was to channel chakra to his hands to create the white healing energy that he used to bind up wounds. He had never treated a poison, and wasn't sure what to do in this case. He knew practically nothing about medical techniques, and did not even have the slightest clue as to how to remove poison from a body. Tears began to well in his eyes as the pain of watching another being die ripped through his body.

A presence within Naruto's stomach awoke, stretching it's meter long claws and sitting up. His host's emotional levels were off skew once more, interrupting his nap time.

_**"Baka. Wipe some blood on your hands, perform these hand sea**__**ls, and slam your hand into the ground."**_

Naruto obeyed the voice instantly. He bit his thumb, swept through the group of seals, then slammed it into the ground. A puff of smoke erupted from the ground, revealing a humanoid looking fox. A Kitsune. The Kitsune stood about five feet tall, it's hands ending in strange looking paws, which appeared to have the same functionality as hands, and of course, it's fur was paler than the waxing moon. The Kitsune was clothed in a flowing white robe, which stirred slightly in the breeze, along with the bells that hung off a staff which it held in it's right hand. The Kitsune turned it's gaze on Naruto, piercing him with it's white eyes, It spoke with a voice that seemed to come from within Naruto's mind, instead of a vocal noise.

_"What is your purpose in summoning me. This contract is supposed to have been voided long ago, and I do not like to waste time in the human world with you... people."__  
__  
_Naruto shrank, "Uhhh, Kitsune-sama. Please help, I can't heal this kits, they're going to die!"

The white Kitsune stared down at Naruto, sniffing the air.

_"Ah yes, Kyuubi-san, I would have thought. He would be the one to interrupt my rest. Tell me child, what has he done to you, I can feel something, intrusive about your chakra."_

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno, I can use this wierd white chakra. But that's about it."

The Kitsune's eyes narrowed, _"Hmmm, I see. Kyuubi has laid the curse of the Byakko upon you. I do not envy you child, your road shall be a long and hard one, the life of a Byakko is one of sacrifice."_

Naruto nodded, "Yes, thank you, but I need your help!"

The Kitsune let loose a chuckle, _"Indeed young Byakko. I will grant you the ability to purge the body of poisons with your white chakra."__  
__  
_The Kitsune fanned out his tails, Naruto was amazed to see that there were nine of them. The nine tails reached forward, touching Naruto's body while the Byakko's hands flew through a series of seals. The Byakko spoke no words, but a strange light engulfed Naruto, filling him with a surge of powerful energy. A sense of rapture flowed through Naruto, and he was sure that he would die in this ecstasy of light. The purity of the light burned him from within, destroying the pains and weaknesses that plagued his body, buoying him up on a cloud of energy.

Then, with a single tap, it was gone. Naruto looked up, the Byakko had tapped his forehead.

_"Didn't want to kill you just yet child. Go now Ningen, heal those kits and bring honor to the name of Byakko."_

Naruto turned and laid his hands upon each kit in turn. As soon as he touched one, the white chakra would engulf the little fox, then it would slowly darken. Finally, when Naruto pulled his hands away, the white chakra, no longer white, but a sickly greenish color, would drift away on the wind, taking with it the poison.

In a matter of moments, each kit was breathing quietly, already falling into a deep sleep. The fox quickly turned to the Kitsune.

"My lord! I thank you with my heart. I am yours to command." The fox said, letting his face touch the ground.

The Kitsune chuckled again, _"Little cousin, I am not here to command you, but if I must, I tell you this, watch over this young Byakko, he will need your aid in the times to come. I leave a blessing upon you young fox, the mark of the Kitsune will be yours from this day forwards. I gift you with the fraction of power that will eventually become your first tail of strength. I leave this young Byakko in your care."__  
__  
_The Kitsune touched the fox with his hands, leaving a glowing mark upon his right shoulder. It was a strange sign which Naruto did not recognize, but he could feel the chakra emanating from it. Naruto would have examined it closer, but the white fox turned to face him.

_"As I said before young ningen. The road of the Byakko is hard. It will be even more difficult for you, as you have no mentor, nor are you of Kitsune blood. The world is a dream child. The Byakko were brought into this world by the thoughts of this dreamer, and we are here to mend this dream. To restore the life which seems to constantly fade around us."__  
__  
_The Byakko rose up to it's full height, waving it's staff over Naruto's head, the bells chiming witht he movement.

_"With these eyes you shall see the suffering of the world, and with these hands, you shall heal it."_

Naruto's eyes itched once again, and he saw the white fox in it's true glory. An aura of pure light drifted around the Kitsune, bathing it in an etheral glow. The hands and eyes of this being released an inner light, which was reflected by the light shining from Naruto's own hands. The Kitsune laid it's hand upon his head and the glow around it flowed forwards, engulfing Naruto in it's loving embrace.

_"I leave upon this world the blessing of you young Byakko. May the light which dwells within you always touch those in need. I give you this charge, Guardian of Life, that you will always know the path which you must travel. Your Compassion will heal the sick, your Will shall raise up the weary, and your Might shall free the bonded. __Into your hands I leave this world, this place of pain and sorrow. You and your descendants shall be the light which shines brightest upon the land, a beacon of hope for all."_

The Kitsune removed it's hand, then stepped back.

_"The Kyuubi will guide you in your task, do not fear him, he is the last son of a mighty people. His strength shall be yours, if you can harness the rage that is his loneliness. My people will be at your disposal through him. I leave the contract for the summoning of the Kitsune in your hands child, may you use it well."_

A medium sized scroll appeared before Naruto, and he quickly picked it up.

_"I wish you luck young Byakko. I must return to watch over my children. We shall probably never meet again."__  
__  
_And with that, the fox burned brightly once more, then disappeared.

Naruto stared at the spot where the Kitsune had been.

"Wow."

The fox beside him nodded, "The Byakko can have that affect on you."

Naruto grinned, "I'm gonna become more awesome than that someday!"

The fox sighed, it was going to be a long life. The mark on his shoulder pulsed slightly, reminding him of the task that the Byakko had left to him. He smiled slightly, yes, that kid was going to become even better than a true Kitsune Byakko.


	3. Curse of the Byakko

Alright! New chapter. Woooo

KotS is coming up, I've been contemplating on what I really want to do with it from here on out. Byakko is still taking shape in my head, so I don't know what will happen. I just kind of sit down and let the words flow. This is why this story is, as one of my readers commented, over excited. I'll be trying to take it slower from here on out, but some parts will still have my trademarked, get it done. (Man, now I know why I usually end all the RPG's I play with all my characters only half the level that they're supposed to be at when you kill the last boss...)

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Byakko, the Hand that Heals  
Chapter 2  
Curse of the Byakko

Naruto sat on his bed, contemplating.

The Kitsune he had met had revealed a great many things to him, many of which he was not entirely sure he understood. However, one thing had stood out, the Kyuubi.

What had he meant? The Kyuubi had been killed by the Yondaime almost a decade ago, what could the Kitsune have possibly meant by having the Kyuubi guide him? Naruto knew that the dead could not be revived, and that the living had no way to contact them. He also knew for a fact that he had never met the Kyuubi, and the Kitsune had spoken as if he and the fox were well acquainted with each other.

Then he thought of the voice within him. The one that had directed him twice now, and seemed to be the key to his newfound abilities. Perhaps it knew the answer? It seemed to be a benevolent presence, a being within him who could direct him when needed. Of course, the voice had never left him a call back number, and he hadn't the slightest idea of how to get it to talk to him, short of finding a major crisis to attempt to avert. It seemed to respond when he needed help with his abilities. Of course, considering the times at which he had awakened and used his abilities so far, he wasn't sure that he wanted to.

Naruto shook his head, there was too much to think about here, and he had class in the morning. He took the scroll which the Byakko had given him and hid it under a loose floorboard beneath his bed, his stash. Through his years living at the apartment, it had been attacked, looted, and even almost burned to the ground twice. This small hiding place had proven a boon, and it was where he kept everything he held of value. Which was not a lot. The scroll barely fit inside, but Naruto happily covered it up, knowing it would be safe until he returned home tomorrow to contemplate it.

Naruto laid his head down, preparing to sleep. Little did he know, he would get very little rest that night.

XXXXXX

Naruto awoke. Or more precisely to say, his mind awoke. His body remained in a sleeping state, rejuvenating and storing the precious energy that he would need to carry out tomorrow's work. However, instead of being pulled into blissful dreams, which would probably not be remembered upon his awakening, Naruto found himself standing in.

A sewer.

"Great. Why can't I have any cool dreams?" Naruto asked the wall, "I mean seriously, a sewer? What's up with that. Sewers suck."

Naruto looked around, noticing the shin deep water and the leaking drains dotting the terrain. Whoever owned this sewer was a seriously lazy guy, it looked like no one had cleaned for at least a century. Of course, Naruto, not thinking that clearly, just said, a long time.

Naruto touched the wall, and a flash of a memory passed through his head. He winced and pulled back. That wasn't a good one. In fact, he was pretty sure that he had very few good memories stored inside his little brain. Most of the good ones he knew were often spoiled by the intervention of people who believed that he didn't deserve to be happy. Always the people...

Naruto shook his head, banishing those thoughts.

"All right, so where's the bad guy? And why the _heck_ am I wearing a dress."

Indeed, Naruto was wearing a dress. Flowing white fabric shrouded is small body, lending an ethereal quality to his figure. The garments closely resembled the ones the Byakko had been wearing. In fact, they were a carbon copy. So of course, it was not actually a dress, but a robe. However, poor Naruto, being a kid, could only think of it as a dress.

The robe was made of the purest white, and didn't seem to be affected by the water in the sewer at all. The fabric, which by all rights should have been soaked below his shins by the high water level, was still moving as if it were simply drifting in thin air. Golden scrollwork flowed along the arms and down the sides, and a single mark, a fox's head, was imprinted on the chest.

Naruto's contemplation of the fabric was interrupted by a low rumbling. Naruto looked down the sewer, sensing... something. He listened carefully, and was surprised to hear a low grumbling breath permeate the air, followed by a sighing exhalation. He stood, listening for quite a while before a red light shone from the direction he was gazing in.

_**"Look kid, either get in here, or get out, I don't care which. Don't stand there like an idiot though, it makes you look like a fool."**_ Echoed a voice.

Naruto jumped. Someone else was in this dumpy sewer?!

Naruto slowed his breathing, then made a cautious step forward, intent on at least reaching the doorway, if not entering the room.

The moment his foot touched the ground, another memory shocked into his mind. He collapsed to his knees, bidding another terrible recall to flow into his head. Naruto's hands flew to his hair, yanking, as if trying to remove the memories by force.

_**"Pathetic. If you can't even reach me, then I have nothing say to you."**_

Naruto growled, the memories once again fading into the back of his mind. Another step brought up an even worse memory. He snarled, pushing it aside. Naruto was fully intent on finding the voice and giving it a good kick to the butt. No one talked to him like that!

Every agonizing them brought Naruto closer to his goal, and allowed him to relive every torment his body and mind had ever faced. Naruto had once read something about memories causing emotional damage to children. He was fairly sure it hadn't said anything about being stuck in a sewer with a taunting voice however. Of course, he reflected, this could always be a Genjutsu.

Naruto shrugged, even if it was a Genjutsu, he had no way to counter it. His abilities with the more subtle arts of being a ninja, namely Genjutsu and chakra control, were sub-par to say the least. There was no way he was going to be able to break free of an illusion of this magnitude. Not now anyway.

_**"I'm growing bored here, get moving."**_

Naruto's eyes flashed dangerously, the door only steps away. Naruto stomped up to the door, allowing the memories to fade with his righteous wrath in the face of the baka he was about to teach a lesson.

As soon as Naruto reached the doorway, he gave up all thoughts of retribution, and decided that a tactical retreat would be his best option.

Through the doorway lay a vast hall, and on the other side, was a great cage, the bars twice and again around as Naruto was tall. Which wasn't saying much, considering the fact that, behind those bars, was probably the most massive fox Naruto had ever seen. And of course, that wasn't the end of it. Not only was the fox grinning at him like it was going to eat him, but there were nine tails swishing behind it. Naruto knew of only one creature which was red, furry, and had nine tails.

Kyuubi.

Naruto turned to run, but a rush of red energy encased him, pulling him into the room.

_**"Ah ah, not yet Gaki. We've just met, I don't think you should be running away for a while."**_ The fox said, _**"Even though I am not subject to the Byakko, I still find that it is in my best interests to guide you on your path, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming down it."**_

Naruto was definitely kicking and screaming, but that was mostly because he was hanging upside down by his food, flailing against the red chakra that encased him.

_**"Baka! Stop struggling. I don't want to destroy your mind by overloading it with my chakra. It's hard enough to keep your body going on the crap that you put into it, let alone turn it into a killing machine. I don't want more work to do with this piece of junk."**_

Naruto failed to heed the words of the Kyuubi, and kept struggling.

_**"Fine! I'll set you down, but you have to promise not to run away. Or I Will kill you, circumstances or not. I'd rather be on my way to the next life than have to dwell within such a baka."**_

__Naruto instantly stopped struggling and glared at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi let go, and Naruto fell face-first into the filthy water. He came up sputtering and cursing.

"You are so dead now!" Naruto yelled, leaping forward and drawing back his fist.

A large paw swept forward, batting him aside. Naruto slammed into the ground, once again being covered in the filth of the sewer, which seemed to simply slide off his white robe. Naruto struggled to his feet, then stood glaring, his arms crossed in a defiant position.

_**"Ah, at last, a little spirit. Good, you're going to need it. Or you might die."**_

Naruto grimaced. What was this thing talking about?

Kyuubi grinned, _**"Good, now that I have your attention, we can begin. First of all, you're probably wondering where we are."**_

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. And why are you here, aren't you dead?"

_**"Baka. You can't simply kill one of the great nine tailed beasts, but you can seal it away. Which leads to our first question. We are inside your mind, and I am in a cage. What does this mean?"**_

"You have a chain fetish?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi growled, _**"I won't stand for you disrespect Gaki. I've killed thousands for less than the words you have just spoken. Now be serious. I know there is a brain inside that yellow shell up there, I just need you to use it."**_

Naruto blinked, then scratched his head, "Well, if we're in my mind, and you're here... in a cage. Uhhh, I'm dreaming?"

Kyuubi smacked his head with his paw, _**"No. Why do you think that all the villagers hate you so much?"**_

Naruto grinned, "They're jealous of my awesomeness, and I also prank them..."

Kyuubi slammed his head against the bars of the cage _**"You IDIOT! People have hated you long before you were even aware of what hate was. There's something about you that people can't stand. Now. I am here. What does this tell you. Why do the people call you a monster and shun you? Why should people worry if you are playing with **_**foxes **_**of all things! WHY!**_

__Naruto may be slow, but that was largely by choice. Images flashed through his mind, images of cold glares, physical violence, and open insults. One word rang above all the others.

Monster.

Naruto was staring into the eyes of a monster. Kyuubi, the lord of the Bijuu, was a monster, and he was inside of Naruto.

"No..." Naruto said.

Kyuubi grinned, _**"At last, he realizes. Yes, I am the great Kyuubi, and I am currently the prisoner that dwells within the seal upon your stomach. Have you ever wondered why strange markings always appeared when you channeled chakra?"**_

Naruto slumped, letting his body fall to the filth encrusted water, "It's not true."

His words rang without conviction. Yet, they also held a sense of relief. At least he knew now. Knowledge is power they say, and Naruto now possessed knowledge of an S-class secret. Naruto had power now, not over anyone else, but over himself. He knew now why they hated him, why they shunned him, and above all why he was regarded as a monster.

Kyuubi's eyes softened, slightly, _**"Yes, it is, and you know it. Even I, the most ruthless of creatures is angered at the punishment you have received. Sadly, people are weak, and will often do these things because they do not have knowledge, or refuse to accept the fact that knowledge lies before them, but will result in them having to realize that they were wrong the whole time if they admit it."**_

_**"But, this is what makes you the ideal candidate to restore the Byakko to this world. The Kitsune clan long ago abandoned this world, favoring their home, a place where no human can dwell upon pain of death. However, they left with me and mine, a small group of foxes, the ability to grow in our intelligence. I am the last heir of that gift, a creature who serves as the last vestige of the once mighty Kitsune empire upon this world."**_

_**"The Kitsune left this world because their time had come. They knew that humans were to be the new rulers of this world, and they were to become extinct. They faded into myth, allowing humans to believe they never walked this world. Leaving behind artifacts of their once mighty civilization. Much of what you know of chakra and technology is the remnants of Kitsune lore."**_

_**"However, the Kitsune are not content to merely leave this world in peace, for it is in a fox's nature to meddle. Thus, when I was given the power of intellect over other beasts, I was also left with a curse, the curse which you now bear. This power was laid dormant in me, meant to come to the fore when the world needed it most. The Byakko left an index... a sort of, accumulation of knowledge within my mind, inaccessible to me until now."**_

_**"I will teach you from these texts, or what little of it I can recover, for it has degraded while residing in my mind. The power of the Byakko was order, life, and kindness. My power resides in chaos, rage, and above all, instinct. Much of the power that was within me was spent to turn me from this path. Part of me rages within, howling in anger at those who would dare to change me. Yet, ironically, this new me feels... Content?"**_

__Kyuubi shook his large head.

_**"Enough. Listen Naruto, this path you walk is one that no other living ningen can follow. You must travel it, but know this, I will walk with you for every step. I feel as if I have been awakened from a dark dream, my mind is full of knowledge unexplored, and I have found a respite from the endless thrashings of a muzzled beast. Something tells me I have you to thank for this, so I will teach you what you need to know. It is up to you what you shall do with this power. Remember, one must cut a wound to drain it, damage must be done to heal. The wounds of humanity are putrid, and I sense that there will be a long way to go before you can even think of repairing them."**_

__Naruto looked up at Kyuubi through his bangs, the sense of despair fading into the past. He felt a sort of kinship forming with his tenant. A bond that was forced, but could become something greater. Each was a victim of powers beyond their control, but together they could try to make something of their broken lives. Naruto took Kyuubi's word on faith and stepped forward into the range of the fox's massive paws, holding his own hand out.

"Alright then, partners?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi grinned, reaching his paw out, _**"For now, don't think I'm not going to try and get out of here."**_

Naruto grinned back, his foxy side coming out, "Trust me, you're going to have a hard time with me here."

_**"I'm betting on it."**_

Naruto touched Kyuubi's paw briefly, then bowed, the fox returned the gesture.

"Alright Kyuubi, show me an awesome jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

Kyuubi sighed, _**"This kid never changes."**_

Naruto didn't have a very restful night, but he woke the next day more energized than ever.

XXXXXX

Naruto slammed into the ground, skidding a few feet away from his opponent.

Not sparing a moment, he quickly turned his skid into a roll and managed to gain his feet in time to avoid the next attack. Said attack, a punch, flew wide, catching a waft of Naruto's hair, but leaving his opponent overbalanced. Naruto examined the white complexion of the arm by his head, then grinned as he latched onto his with his own hand.

"Checkmate Teme." Naruto grinned.

The last Uchiha's eyes widened in alarm as Naruto spun, then threw his hand forward. Sasuke flew through the air, crashing into one of the many training logs that adorned the Academy grounds. Naruto grinned at the gawking onlookers, amazed at how Naruto had just defeated their beloved Uchiha.

"DOBE!" Sasuke yelled, struggling to his feet and charging.

Naruto glanced back and the charging Uchiha and methodically channeled chakra into his right fist.

"Your anger makes you weak." Naruto stated.

Sasuke's attack flew at Naruto. Naruto dropped to the ground and executed a perfect sweep, kicking Sasuke's legs out from underneath him. Naruto slammed his left hand into the ground, using it as a point to push off and kick the Uchiha with his other foot, then flipped to his feet.

The Uchiha hung in the air for a brief second, then Naruto slammed his chakra enhanced punch into the boy's ribcage, hurling him into the post, demolishing it this time. The sound of cracking ribs filled the air and Naruto humphed at the fallen form of the black haired avenger.

The scene around Naruto froze and he glanced up, seeing a clapping man stride over to him, only to be stopped by an imaginary wall. The man grimaced, and the world faded into nothing.

The world of Naruto's mind overlapped the darkness, revealing Kyuubi's cage, the fox inside of it.

_**"Sometimes I wish this cage would bend to illusion..."**_ Kyuubi muttered.

Naruto snorted, "It wouldn't be very good at keeping in a fox then, would it?"

Kyuubi grinned his maniacal grin, _**"True, true."**_

"So...?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kyuubi turned a critical eye to his young charge, _**"You are... gifted. Four weeks in with any student would usually have me tearing his head off in anger. Of course, in Makai you don't really have to worry about that, since most of the creatures that dwell there don't think with their heads. They just kinda keep going until you put them down. Permanently."**_

_**"But, beside that. I think it's time."**_

__Naruto grinned, pumping his fist into the air.

_**"But!"**_

__Naruto sighed, hanging his head, there was always a 'but.'

_**"You are **_**not **_**to use this jutsu unless you desperately have to. NO ONE can know that you possess this skill. It is not a normal jutsu, it's not even copyable."  
**_  
Naruto nodded, the gravity of the situation registering in his mind.

_**"I'm going to teach you the first of the skills that Kitsune learn. This skill will grow stronger with you, so it will never become obsolete. Are you ready?"**_

Naruto nodded, almost hopping up and down in excitement, "Tell me already!"

Kyuubi grinned, _**"I'm going to teach you to access your Kitsune Bi."**_

__Naruto gave Kyuubi a questioning look, "Kitsune Bi? I'm not a fox Kyuubi."

Kyuubi sighed, this kid could be really dense when he wanted to, _**"Yes, but you **_**are **_**a Byakko. Therefore you have access to the skills that all Kitsune take for granted."**_

Naruto nodded, understanding, "Alright! Show me!"

Kyuubi obliged.

At first, nothing appeared to happen. Then, slowly, a light grew within Kyuubi's cage. The swirling of his nine tails was generating some kind of light. The nine tails picked up in pace, and the light flared, forming a firestorm of energy. Kyuubi's eyes narrowed slightly, then he flung his tails forward.

A brilliant wash of flame erupted from Kyuubi's tails, racing at Naruto. Naruto squeaked and dove for the sewage. From his lower point of view, Naruto could see and feel the roaring flames of Kyuubi's attack sweep over the scum layered water of Naruto's mindscape. Raging water boiled around Naruto, evaporating faster than it could flood in from the other tunnels.

Naruto felt fear of death descending upon him for a moment, then the flames were gone.

"WHAT THE HE--!!" Naruto screamed at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi roared with laughter as the sewage coated naruto leaped out of the still steaming water, pointing his angry finger at the giant fox.

_**"You asked for it Gaki. You've had that coming since you called be 'old man'"**_

"You _are_ old. Besides, don't you die if I die?"

_**"Baka. I can't kill you inside your own mind. Kitsune Bi is a physical force, I can't force it past that cursed seal."**_

Naruto growled, but decided to let it go. For now.

"Alright, so how do _I_ use Kitsune Bi?"

Kyuubi shrugged, _**"The same way I do"**_

Naruto snarled, "I would... except I DON'T HAVE A TAIL!!"

Kyuubi sighed, _**"I don't use my tails. Kitsune Bi can be fired from any part of my body, I just like using my tails. Look, Kitsune Bi is drawing from your inner strength. It's not really a jutsu, heck, it doesn't even use chakra.**_ _**You need to look to the same power that gives you the ability to heal, there you will find your other Kitsune skills. Neither I nor the Kitsune have ever dealt with a human who has the Curse of the Byakko. We're both stumbling in the dark on drawing out your skills."**_

Naruto settled back, pacified for now, "So, how are we going to find out?"

_**"I don't think we can do anything. There's a place inside of you that recognizes how to wield Kitsune Bi, we just need to wait for it to manifest. If you don't know how to do it instinctually, we'll just have to wait for it to come out itself.**_"__

__"But... you promised me a jutsu..." Naruto said, getting a little teary eyed.

Kyuubi sighed, _**"Fine... how about I teach you one... If you can get up the tree and back down without blowing it up?"**_

"No fair!"

_**"Life isn't fair, deal with it. But trust me, if you can do it, I'll make it worth your while."**_

__"Really?"

_**"Yeah, have you ever heard of Kage Bunshin?"**_

Before Naruto could reply, he felt Kyuubi's mind push his back into consciousness.

XXXXXX

Naruto shivered. Balance training with Kyuubi sucked. He was standing under a freezing waterfall, stark naked, on one foot. He had been communing with Kyuubi while holding this position. Kyuubi said it would improve his strength, balance, and chakra capacity. It was freaking torture for Naruto. He quickly moved out from under the stream, grimacing at the broken tracks that his chakra left upon the stone.

He quickly dressed. He had tried to keep his clothes on under the raging torrent of water, but it had proven futile, and he'd had to dive for his clothes the first day.

_Besides, _he reasoned, _It's not like I have a stalker or something._

Naruto could feel his body being warmed back to normal by Kyuubi's chakra. That fox was good for a few things, even if he was an annoying sensei.

Naruto turned and glared at a nearby tree.

"Prepare to die." He said, feeling slightly sorry for the tree.

And thus, Naruto began another practice in minor deforestation.

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Kitsune Bi: Fox Fire. Will be explained later!

So, R&R, let me know what you think!


	4. Burn from Within

Alright! It's time Byakko chapter three, enjoy!

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Byakko, The Hand That Heals  
Chapter 3  
Burn from Within

"LIAR!" Naruto yelled.

Kyuubi snickered _**"No, I said I would teach you a jutsu, I didn't say that you wouldn't have to go find it for me."**_

"It's still a lie." Grumbled Naruto.

_**"Look kid, you've killed half the trees in the forest to get here, why don't you give the environmentalists a rest and go do some civic disruption. I'm sure it'll work out."**_

__"Stealing from the Hokage is like, a criminal offense. I could get my hands lopped off for it." Naruto complained.

_**"Psh. That old man? There are very few breeds of fly that he would harm, let alone a kid like you."**_

Naruto growled, "I could be forbidden from becoming a ninja."

_**"And? Being a Shinobi is not the end all of an existence kid. In fact, it's one of the easiest ways to ensure the end of your existence. Besides, do you really think they will let you **_**not **_**become a shinobi? Holding the Kyuubi is a hard task, and they aren't about to risk a secret weapon because you want to go off and be a carpenter."**_

__Naruto screwed up his face, he had no skill with woodworking. Besides_, _he'd read about an ability called Mokuton, and that sounded way cooler than shaping wood with your hands.

However, Kyuubi's words did give him pause. Besides, he was a master of stealth. Anyone who wore orange and could still avoid ANBU was definitely skilled at hiding.

"Fine, but you owe me."

_**"A debt which will be paid when I teach you this skill. Trust me."**_

Naruto grumbled, but decided to comply with Kyuubi. For now. All bets were off when he hit the interrogation room.

"Alright... we strike at dusk!" Naruto said.

_**"Baka! You need a plan, you can't simply run into the most heavily secured building in the village without having a plan to get the scroll, read it, and get out."**_

Naruto scowled, "I don't understand you Kyuubi. First you're all like 'let's go steal a scroll!' Then when I say sure you go 'Now hold on.' Make up your bloody mind on what you want to do!"

_**"I want you to steal the scroll, but it's imperative you don't get caught. It's even more vital that no one suspect that it was you who sneaked into the tower and read it. Where do you think suspicion will fall if you suddenly gain the ability to use a technique from an S-class scroll? You need a plan, you need to case the joint, and you need a partner."**_

Naruto nodded sagely, as if this had been his plan all along, "And I think I know just the fox for the job."

Naruto and Kyuubi's grins were almost identical.

XXXXXX

"Fox-san!" Naruto yelled down the hole.

Naruto waited for a moment before repeating his summons. A small voice let him know that at least one of the kits had been awakened, and was probably conversing with one of it's litter mates. Naruto waited with uncharacteristic patience, knowing the fear of a child when a stranger, most likely a dangerous one, was nearby.

A pair of eyes appeared at the hole, and Naruto found himself tackled to the ground by a small version of his little friend.

"Byakko-sama!" A small voice squeaked.

Naruto grinned up at the small fox sitting on his chest, "Hello there Kit-chan, how are you?"

The fox seemed to pout, "My name is Myora Byakko-sama."

Naruto laughed, "Ok Myora-chan, is your father home?"

"No, he's out hunting, but we can help you! Who are we going to fight today."

"Well, I see someone has a fighting spirit."

"You bet! With Byakko-sama on our side, we can teach those nasty humans a lesson about messing with dad!"

Naruto laughed, and was about to reply before he was interrupted.

"Myora, go back inside, you know it isn't safe." said a decidedly deeper voice.

Myora pouted again, but obeyed. Naruto rolled over to glance at the newcomer, and nearly lost his jaw as his hit the ground.

The fox that Naruto had saved so many weeks ago was now standing before him, at least twice as large as he had been. The mark on his shoulder still stood out in silver contrast to his red coat, reminding Naruto of the pact which the Byakko had made with his friend. Newly intelligent eyes gazed at Naruto with fondness, their crystalline amber depths reflecting Naruto's face upon them.

"I believe we've never actually formally met, my name is Kyoki. How can I aid you Byakko-sama. Or Naruto?" The fox asked.

Naruto smiled at the fox, "Just Naruto, I feel old when people call me sama. Not that anyone ever does..."

The fox smiled back, "Of course Naruto-kun."

Naruto got serious, "Well, the reason I'm here, is because I need your help."

"I am yours to call upon my friend. I owe you four lives, and much more to come I feel."

"Right... um, I need your help to break into the Hokage tower."

The fox raised an eyebrow, "Really? Shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate. This village's security is fairly weak once you get inside."

"Really?"

"Yes, you should really speak to your Hokage about that. Anyway, I know the general layout of the outside, but you'll need to get inside and take a look around. What are you planning to steal?"

"A forbidden scroll."

"Right... scroll, what's that?"

"Uhm... it's like, paper. With ink on it."

"Yeah, that stuff doesn't taste good."

"I would expect not. Anyway, how are we going to get in?"

"The window, you'll need to find a way to unlock one of the lower level windows, then you'll be able to sneak in and get to the room you're looking for. Do you know where the room is?"

"Yeah, Ojii-san once showed be the scroll room. The one I'm looking for is on a pedestel."

"Well, that seems foolish. Alright, meet me here at dusk. Go take a look inside, observe the guards and try to find out their evening schedules. Those should be the guards on duty till midnight, that will give us a general idea of where we should be moving and when."

Naruto nodded, "Alright, I'll go take a look."

Naruto took off before waiting to hear the fox speak again. The fox smiled and shook his head. What a weird kid. Then again, he supposed that this boy wouldn't be who he was if he didn't act the way he did, so he was willing to forgive that.

XXXXXX

Naruto sprinted down the street, wind flapping through his spiked blond hair. He grinned excitedly as he put his newfound speed to use. Kyuubi had been giving him lessons in increasing all of his physical attributes, and his Byakko powers were beginning to augment his natural abilities as well. Building up muscles was exponentially easier when you could heal them to their full potential in just a few hours rather than the days in usually takes.

Naruto vaulted over a fruit cart and rolled beneath a cow as he approached the Hokage's tower. The shouts of the angry owners followed him and he turned long enough to laugh at them, but swept his eyes back ahead when Kyuubi's reprimand echoed in his mind.

_**"Always keep your eyes on your objective baka, losing sight of your goal will contribute more to failure than anything."**_

Naruto leaped to the top of a nearby building and hurled himself into space, a few seconds of dizzying free falling found him crouched on the windowsill of a lower section of the Hokage tower. A quick drop and roll and Naruto was standing before the front door.

"Yeah, I'm awesome." He said confidently, striking a pose before the door.

A cleared throat behind him caused him to lose his pose, rather theatrically. Naruto turned to glare at the face of the man who had interrupted his awesomeness, and was confronted by a mess of gravity defying silver hair placed just above a single eye. Well, that was all that was visible anyway, the rest of the man's face was covered by a mask.

"Yo." The man said lazily, "You really shouldn't stand like that in front of the Hokage tower door, it opens outwards.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

Before the cyclopian ninja could respond to Naruto's query, an angry jounin decided to exit the Hokage tower. Now, when a civilian who is angry slams a door open, bad things can happed to the framework on the other side, and especially to anyone stupid enough to be standing on the other side of the door when the person flings it open. Now, imagine a jounin, a trained killer, with the strength to break rocks with his bare hands, flinging open a heavy oak door, into the back of a young academy student's head.

Yeah, painful.

Naruto's world was enveloped in a bright white light, and a flash of pain seared through his head as he was flung to the ground.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival! The Hokage has once again denied my request to receive a Genin team!" Shouted an angered Maito Gai.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised slightly, "Gai... considering the way you just mauled that poor academy student, I'm surprised that they even let you near the schoolhouse. Then again... don't they have a restraining order? Something about, 'extracurricular training?'

Gai looked mortified as he stared down at the swirly eyed Naruto.

"It huuurts..." Naruto groaned, "Why does it always hurt?"

_**"Naruto! You have to hold back your white chakra, it will give you away faster than a neon painted sign!" **_Kyuubi's voice roared through the haze of pain.

Naruto groaned in response, suppressing his chakra signature so that his abilities wouldn't be able to activate on their own. However, this produced quite a different response from the two jounin that were standing over him.

"Kakashi! I think I might have killed him!!" Gai yelled, staring down at the still boy whose chakra signature had just faded.

Kakashi's one eyes widened, "Umm, I'm pretty sure that's not good Gai. I would say goodbye to your team request for now."

Gai blinked, then tears began rushing down his face, "HOW UNYOUTHFUL OF ME!!!!!"

Naruto took this moment to raise a single hand and talk into the ground, "Don't worry about me... ugh. I'll be fine in a moment."

Kakashi and Gai instantly stopped and stared. They couldn't feel any chakra from the boy, and yet... he was alive.

"Gai..." Kakashi began.

"Yes?" Gai responded

"When did we start teaching academy students how to suppress their chakra signatures so well?"

"We didn't. I don't think so anyway."

"So... he either has a really crappy chakra capacity. Or amazing chakra control."

Gai nodded, sagely, "It would appear so."

"But wait... isn't that, _him_?"

Gai blinked, then nodded again, "Why yes."

As soon as this process got through Gai's mind, he grinned from ear to ear.

"YOSH! HOW YOUTHFUL OF THIS STUDENT TO BE TRAINING AT SUCH AN ADVANCED LEVEL! HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!" Gai yelled.

Kakashi rubbed his ears, "Gai... please be quiet, I have a headache, and you're not helping."

Gai was about to unleash another chorusing when Naruto's wavering hand came up.

"Ugggh. Can someone help me?" he groaned.

Before he could take another breath, Naruto found himself standing on his feet, face to face with a kneeling green man with a blindingly white smile. Naruto cringed and tried to pull away from the blinding sheen of the man's teeth, but found himself held by the powerful hands of a man who has trained his entire life to beat people to a pulp with his bare hands. Naruto felt a growing horror as the blinding sheen began to consume him. He tried to struggle against the light, but it held him entranced, the sparkly whiteness shimmering off the...

"Hey Gai, let him go, you're going to kill him." Kakashi said.

Gai let go, and Naruto felt the world refocus as the man stood up.

"I apologize for knocking you over young one, however, I must be going now, I have to run five laps around Konoha... and if I can't do that, I shall..." Gai trailed off as Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that all?" Kakashi asked.

"YOSH! How hip and cool an answer you have provided my eternal rival! I shall now run ten laps, and if I can't..."

Naruto ran for it, he didn't want to hear what the crazy Jounin was planning on doing. He ducked into the building around Gai's legs, followed by the man's loud booming voice as he declared many things concerning youth, flames, and eternal rivalry. Naruto kept running until he couldn't hear the voice anymore, then finally checked where he was. His eyes widened in surprise as he noted his surroundings.

He was next to the forbidden library.

Why no one had stopped him, he hadn't the slightest idea. He shot a glance back down the hall, idly noting that the Chuunin guard appeared to be sleeping. Some security. Naruto's nose twitched slightly and immediately ducked into the closest door. A moment later, the old man entered the hallway, trailing long strands of languidly flowing tobacco smoke. He appeared to be lost in thought as he traveled down the long hallway, passing by Naruto's door as he peeked out.

Naruto chuckled and turned away from the door, examining the room he had stolen into. at first glance, it seemed like a repository of some sort, for old stuff. Really old stuff. The walls were line with dusty posters, most of which were diagrams for techniques and chakra theory. Others appeared to be plans for machines of some kind that Naruto didn't recognize. However, the walls were just the beginning. scattered throughout the room were various objects, most of whose origin Naruto could not place. There was a helmet there, and a wierd glove with long metal chains attached to it there, and many more wonders to behold.

"Kyuubi, where?" Naruto began.

_**'I don't know... it looks like some kind of warehouse. Take a look around, you might find something interesting.' **_Kyuubi instructed.

Naruto followed the fox's advice, stepping further into the dusty room. Before his foot even took a second step, he sniffed the air. Chakra.

Naruto's instincts made him drop and roll underneath a table as the door burst open, revealing two ANBU standing in the doorway. They didn't appear to have noticed Naruto. They were after something else in here. Naruto suppresed his chakra to an almost dead level and watched the two men's feet scramble into the room.

"Are you sure the alarm went off?"

"Of course I'm sure! We don't set those seals up to look pretty. Someone is in here."

"I don't sense anything."

"That could mean we're going to die in a second. Alert hokage-sam- wait. Do you smell that?"

Naruto noticed their feet stiffen.

"Demonic chakra. We need to get out of here now." One muttered.

"Alert Hokage-sama, I will stay here. seal the entrance behind me."

"But..."

"GO! We don't have any time left."

Naruto's eyes widened as the first man ran out, slamming the door behind him. He sensed a spike of chakra, then the door fused into the frame. A sense of despair filled Naruto. He was trapped with an ANBU! He could die!

Before Naruto could contemplate any further, the second man disappeared in a blur of motion, reappearing somewhere out of Naruto's sight.

"And now that we're alone you little fox, I can kill you myself." Came a voice from behind him.

Naruto's eyes widened as a kunai ripped into his lower back, puncturing his left kidney. He went down without a sound, breathing painfully as searing agony coursed through his stomach. He faintly hear a laugh, then another blossom of pain originated in his right lung, shooting through his entire body.

"You killed my friends little demon, and now you're going to find out what it's like to suffer."

Naruto's eyes turned to his tormentor, streaming with tears, "P-please don't kill me." He whispered.

Although he couldn't see it, Naruto felt the man grin, "Oh don't worry, that seal lasts for six hours, you'll have at least that long to live."

Naruto whimpered as the man dragged his kunai down harshly, tearing open a huge gash over his rib cage.

"But, you do only need one lung, and it's harder to scream when you don't even have the air to breathe. So, which one should it be? I'll let you choose. It's risky either way, but I feel that each man should have a choice on how he's mutilated. Oh wait, you aren't a man, I guess I'll take them both." The man growled.

Naruto tried to gasp, but not air would enter his right lung, seeing as how it was being held by the man. He briefly wondered how he was still conscious after taking so much damage to his body. Something he had once read said that the human body would shut down after reaching a certain pain threshold. The man, as if reading his thoughts, laughed.

"Do you like it? It's a genjutsu of my making, I can force a person to remain conscious through any amount of pain, it's really quite remarkable for torturing those who I need answers from. Tell me, how does a fox breathe without lungs?" He asked.

Naruto released his waning hold on his chakra, allowing it to flare to life in his body. The ANBU took a startled step back as a pillar of white chakra erupted from the boy. Naruto's wounds slammed shut under the torrent of white chakra, even as his reserves dropped to an all time low. Pain ripped through his body as the wounds felt torn afresh, then his body was returned to it's whole, unmarred state.

He turned to face his tormentor, a glint of rage entering his eyes as they turned red, _**"I don't know. Say, how does a human live without skin?"**_

The man growled, hurling his kunai at the boy along with a string of hanseals meant to end the young child's life.

Naruto felt the world slow down. The white chakra around him disperesed under the kunai's assault. Naruto stared in unbelief, but raised his hand to intercept the attack, hoping to at least prevent the dagger from reaching any vitals. Before the deadly shaft of steel could reach him however, Naruto heard something even more horrifying.

_**Katon! Ryuuka nojutsu!**_

Naruto stared in fear as the dragon bore down on him, engulfing the kunai as it sped to consume him. Naruto's white chakra all but disintegrated under the assault. Fear took hold in his body, then anger.

_'I will not die here! Not to the hands of this baka!'_

_**'Naruto!'**_ Kyuubi cried out. **_"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_**

Naruto raised his other hand as the dragon finally reached him. All the pain, anger, and hatred that he had endured in his life focused into this one moment, he felt the fire within his body ignite, an unquenchable flame of pure emotion.

_**KITSUNE BI!**_

The fire dragon slammed into Naruto's hands as a firestorm of stunningly powerful proportions erupted from Naruto's body. The fire dragon faltered, then shattered under the assault of the raging flames that escaped Naruto's hands. The man had time to breath in for a stunned cry, then was bathed in rolling hellfire. The ANBU seemed to withstand the assault for almost a second, then his skin bubbled and evaporated before Naruto's eyes, leaving a skeleton to collapse to the ground.

Naruto gazed in fear and awe at the fallen shinobi, then collapsed to the ground after him.

* * *

So, it's not as long as it should be, but I'm feeling kind of down after having my wisdom teeth removed, and I needed to write something to make myself feel better.


	5. Revelation?

Hoooo boy! Been a long time since this has been updated eh?

I'm not taking school next quarter, so I'll probably actually be able to update more often! Wooo rejoice.

* * *

Byakko, The Hand That Heals  
Chapter 4  
Revelation?

Chakra flared.

Naruto's eyes were pried open by the persistent muscles in his face, much to his optical receptor's chagrin. He stared at the ceiling as a white robed figure and four other black garbed shinobi entered the room, flying over him to examine the mangled skeleton and the blood stains on the floor. Rough hands grabbed him around the waist and hauled him into a standing position. Naruto's muscles cried out in complaint, burning in pain as he was forced to stand on his own. His lungs felt like a smith's bellows, sucking in burning hot air to feed a flame which burnt him from within.

"Hokage-sama, this one is still alive, but just barely." called Naruto's captor.

The old man's wizened face appeared before Naruto, and a gentle, cool hand rested on his forehead.

"Get him to the hospital, he's burning up." hissed the Hokage, pulling his hand away.

As Naruto was dragged away, he noticed blisters rising on the old man's hand. Strange...

The world faded.

XXXXXX

Beep, Beep, Beep...

Naruto's struggled to force his eyes open, and was rewarded with the slight fluttering of his eyelids. The sterile environment of the hospital room invaded his nostrils as his eyes tried to draw the harsh flourescent light into focus. The slight hum of the nearby equipment provided a background to the constant beeping sound of the heart monitor.

"Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes flashed open, his muscles responding to years of built up readiness for beatings and failed homicide attempts. He tried to move, but his arms were held down by thick restraints. Naruto tried to push chakra into his limbs, but felt his attempts siphon off into his restraints. His eyes flew wildly towards the voice which had spoken before, only to find the quite serious face of Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom Naruto had nicknamed oji-san.

"Oji-san! Help me out of these things!" Naruto yelled, still trying to free himself.

Sarutobi's hand rested on Naruto's arm, "Don't try Naruto, they're unbreakable for a person of your level."

Naruto grunted and continued to struggle until Sarutobi gave him a sharp look.

"Naruto, normally I would leave this to Ibiki, but his methods aren't very... subtle. I was hoping you would come clean with me and tell me what you were doing in that area and how the charred remains of a high level ANBU ended up with you."

Naruto folded his arms, or, would have if he was able to get his arms that close together. He settled for touching his fingertips and looking sulky.

"I was exploring."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, "Naruto, there is at least one guard posted at the entry to that hallway at all times, and two more patrolling it, not including myself when I go to check on my own personal library. 'Just exploring' is not going to cut it here. What were you searching for? Who sent you?"

Naruto was becoming very confused, Sarutobi was not like this at all, in fact, he was acting more an interrogator than the cheerful man who often took Naruto to his birthdays. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"You aren't Ji-san..."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as well, "I am who I say I am. I cannot be your Oji-san when I find you lying next to the combusted corpse of one of Konoha's military corps. Now, you must answer my questions, or I cannot protect you. I would like to think it wasn't you, but when you were moved here, the sheets they had you in burst into flames. Now, what happened?"

Naruto slumped back, "I just wanted to learn how to do an awesome jutsu..."

Sarutobi rubbed his temples, "And?"

"I had to hide in the room you found me in, because I felt you coming. I was just looking around, I swear, then they came..."

Sarutobi nodded, urging him to go on.

"The one yelled something about sealing the room, then the other left. As soon as the other was gone, the other. He, he hurt me" Naruto sobbed, curling up, "He called me a demon, and said I needed to die."

Sarutobi's eyes softened with compassion, however, he continued, "Naruto, when we found you, your body was so badly charred that I sustained third degree burns on my hand just by touching you. The ANBU with me had to constantly channel water chakra through his arms in order to carry you, and he had to pass you on to another at the doors of the hospital."

Sarutobi showed Naruto his hand, which was wrapped in medical gauze and a bandage.

"Luckily for you, your skin regrew. Quickly. Unnaturally so. And there was no sign of puncture wounds anywhere on your body. Why?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes, catching the last few unshed tears, "I-"

_**"Tell him, we're not getting out of this otherwise."**_

Naruto stiffened, then nodded to Kyuubi, or as it seemed to Sarutobi, himself.

"Oji-san, let me see your hand."

Sarutobi was curious enough that he held it out. Naruto slowly unwrapped the bandages with his child's fingers until the angry red flesh and blisters appeared. Sarutobi watched with interest as Naruto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again. What Sarutobi saw next was completely beyond anything he had been expecting.

Naruto's pupils were silver.

Of course, from Naruto's point of view, he had simply activated his Byakko sight, and could now see Sarutobi's hand in a new way. Naruto had never had to deal with a burn before, and he wasn't sure exactly what to do. All the other times he had used his white chakra, he had simply let loose a brute force of chakra to fix what was wrong. This usually led to him passing out, or at the best, becoming completely helpless because of chakra exhaustion.

The light around Sarutobi wasn't nearly as healthy as many of the living things he had seen while his sight was active. In fact, Sarutobi's aura looked like it was collapsing in on itself. However, underneath the initial weakness, Naruto could see a iron hard core, an unwillingness to give into the disease of aging. He turned his eyesight back to Sarutobi's hand, examining the wound.

An angry red pulse seemed to permeate Sarutobi's wound, however, it was muffled slightly by what appeared to be an ointment of some kind. However, there was an even more insidious pain emanating from the Hokage's fingers. Naruto had read about the condition arthritis, and it appeared as if Sarutobi wasn't an exception to the rule when it came to aging. Naruto frowned, then set to work.

White chakra enfolded his hand as he laid it on Sarutobi's. The light spread to Sarutobi's hand, and Naruto could feel the burn as if it were a living thing. All his healing before now had been a meat cleaver compared to the knife-like precision he attempted to wield now. He reached into Sarutobi's hand, letting the burn enfold his being, and becoming the pain. Naruto first started by drawing the heat out of the wound. The injury reacted instantly, slowly beginning to recede, then stopped.

Naruto puzzled, he had taken away the source of the injury.

_**"You have to make new cells baka."**_ Kyuubi interjected.

Naruto nodded to himself again, and let the chakra wash into Sarutobi's hand once again. He pushed the burned skin and muscle, trying to move it. It refused to budge. He growled slightly, then it hit him. He couldn't move it, but he could break it down. Naruto let his chakra eat away at the dead skin, and forced the materials back into Sarutobi's body. Naruto didn't even try to destroy the muscle fibers, but instead, simply coated them in a new layer, then began the process of regenerating the dead skin tissue on the Hokage's hand. No more than a few seconds later, the hand was as good as new. Except for one thing.

Naruto delved deeper into Sarutobi's hand, in fact, he forced his chakra throughout Sarutobi's entire body. He could feel the failing of the old man's limbs, and his muscles, not as quick or supple as they were.

_**"Just the hands. You don't want to kill yourself. Age is a natural thing, you can only treat the symptoms."**_ Kyuubi cautioned.

Naruto delved into Sarutobi's hands, feeling the old and ragged cartilage and the grinding of bone against bone. He winced, then slowly restarted the process as with the burn. He absorbed all the cartilage, but rather then sending it back, he held it where it needed to go, then simply ordered it to grow. Materials from Sarutobi's body began to break down to fulfill the task, but Naruto halted that quickly. Instead, he used some substance from his own. The Fox's regeneration should be able to handle just a little loss.

Before he knew it, Sarutobi's hands were healed. Naruto settled back into his body, and gave a sigh of relief, and stretched, cricking his back. He let his Byakko sight fade and looked up at Sarutobi.

"So, whaddya think?" He asked grinning.

Sarutobi was speechless. He touched the palm of his hand which had been burned, then did a double take, as the pain usually associated with moving his fingers didn't register.

"What?..."

"It's my awesome new bloodline! I'm going to be the best ninja ever!" Naruto declared.

Sarutobi signaled for Naruto to quiet down, "When did you get this, and how?"

Naruto shrugged, not willing to give away everything, "I dunno, one day I saw an injured animal, and I healed it. I've been practicing with it ever since.

_**"You mean I've been training you."**_ Kyuubi snorted.

_'Quiet you.'_ Naruto shot back.

Before they could go any further, Naruto's stomach growled. Sarutobi flexed his hand and chuckled, it felt wonderful to have a young man's hands again, if not in sight, but in function.

"Looks like we need to get you some food Naruto. What say... Ramen?"

Naruto whooped delightedly, but instantly fell back into his bed, his stamina severely depleted by what he had just done. Sarutobi's mouth curled into a smile.

"Don't worry Naruto, I'll bring you some of Ichiraku's. We'll talk more then, but for now, you are not to tell anyone of your new abilities."

Naruto nodded, "I kinda figured that."

Sarutobi, smiled, then got up, "I'll be back in a few minutes, don't run off. Or I'll have them tie you down."

Naruto gulped, before he saw the glint of mischief in Sarutobi's eyes. He grinned back, then fell onto his pillows. It's not like he had the energy to anywhere right now anyway.

_'Man! I'm hungry!'_

_**"If I have to listen to you whine, I'm going to break something in here. And you won't like it."**_

Naruto gave Kyuubi the mental form of the bird, then closed his eyes, expecting to doze until Sarutobi came back. Of course, when the ramen appeared he was fast asleep. The Hokage chuckled and set the Ramen on Naruto's bedside table, then ate his own before leaving. As long as Naruto knew not to talk, he would be fine, their own little chat could wait until he was discharged.

XXXXXX

Naruto's ravenous stomach woke him a few hours later, and he downed the ramen at his bedside in a flurry of activity. A few seconds later, he sighed satisfied with the extra large helping of noodles that now rested in his stomach. He was feeling distinctly better than he had about two hours ago when he had first awoken. Now there was only one thing left to do, get out of this place.

Naruto hated hospitals.

Simple fact, simple truth. Hospitals reminded him of the cold, unfeeling environment in which he had been raised. People always running everywhere, but no one to look after him. Bustling activity, yet one so alone that he could beat the walls till his knuckles bled, and no one would listen. The isolation of a private hospital room, which he always got, because no one wanted to be in the same room as the "demon," was more unbearable to Naruto's free spirit than the wounds that he had often had to have treated here.

Naruto let himself drop to the floor quietly. Stealth was always the key. Doctors and nurses would always want to keep him longer for observation, mostly due to the fact that he was almost more certain to heal on his own than with some technique that they used. They sometimes watched and took blood samples, trying to discover the secret to Naruto's healing power. Of course, you can't really find youki in human blood, so their attempts had failed miserably.

Naruto looked around at the equipment while he slowly began unplugging it. He had learned a while back not to just rip the contacts off his body, as that would alert someone that he might be suffering from heart failure. Of course, sometimes no one even bothered coming. However, it was better safe than sorry. He finished, then tore the contacts off his body.

His clothing was in a bag underneath the night stand. His jumpsuit had been burned to a crisp when he had unleashed his Kitsune Bi on the unfortunate ANBU, and he was fairly certain that there wasn't another copy of that beautiful piece of material. Patched, worn, and kinda smelly, but still, his. Naruto sighed and pulled on the boxers, then pulled on the tan cargo pants. He took one look at the white shirt, then sighed and threw it on. White was a color that Naruto favored least. Mostly because it was impossible to get blood stains out of it. He would have preferred to have a black or red shirt, those would at least blend.

Naruto shrugged and checked the window. Sure enough, there was a pair of ANBU posted in discreet locations. Both of which Naruto could see if he looked hard enough. Simply put, the window was out as an escape option.

The ventilation ducts were screwed in tight, and he was fairly sure that the front door would be a bad idea.

Luckily for Naruto, he was in a _ninja hospital_, which carried with it many special features. Including a secret evacuation tunnel for when the village came under attack. Every other room in the hospital had a tile which was a clever work of solid chakra and genjutsu. All one had to do was fire a pulse at the correct tile in the correct harmonic, and said tile would disappear, allowing the injured to be moved to safety.

Of course, Naruto wasn't a big detector type, so he mostly wandered around the room, shooting out a multi-frequency chakra signal in small doses. So, that's exactly what he did.

Naruto got lucky on his third pass, and ended up with a square cut hole in the ground and promptly jumped in, following the passage which would lead to a safe house along the cliffs of the hokage monument.

XXXXXX

Sarutobi walked calmly down the street, greeting all who passed him. Many things passed through his mind, mostly centered around Naruto and his newfound power.

A lull in the crowd caused the third Hokage to glance around, then duck into a back alley unnoticed. The old man moved into the shadows and raised a single hand into a seal.

_**Kai**_

Sarutobi's features slowly began to melt, the pains and damage done by the powerful transformation jutsu undone as the ninja reverted to his normal self. The newly formed figure pulled out a scroll and unsealed a piece of paper from it. He jotted down a quick message to his masters, resealed it, then burned the sealing scroll with a simple fire jutsu.

The figure's yellow eyes glinted in what little light there was in the alley, the rest of his face hidden behind a black cowl.

"Uzumaki Naruto... So the kitsune have finally made their move." He whispered to himself.

Several minutes later, a civilian stumbled into the alley to throw up. He walked out looking much more sober, heading for the main gate.

XXXXXX

Sarutobi hummed to himself as he walked down the hallway towards the hospital room that Naruto was being housed in. His hand burned slightly, but he had taken worse wounds in the protection of his village. It was mostly the itching that was getting to him.

After the incident, Sarutobi had opened the file of the ANBU, Tanguzaki Shiro, who had been burned to a crisp. The man's wife and child had been killed in the Kyuubi attack, and he was known as a great propenent among the ANBU for the killing of Naruto. Shiro had been a stable ninja for about three years, but after the death of his two closest people, he had begun to slip.

Shiro had been confined to duty in the tower, and a thorough round of therapy after being a lone survivor of a border patrol skirmish, and had been exhibiting signs of recovery for a while. Of course, neurologically damaged people have a way of... hiding their ailments.

Sarutobi had a suspicion that the man had been trying to dispose of Naruto with a fire jutsu when one of the artifacts in the room reacted violently to his chakra and burned him to a crisp. After all, the room had literally been saturated with Shiro and some other sources chakra.

However, there was still the question of how Naruto got there, and that was the question that Sarutobi was determined to find the answer to.

Sarutobi nodded to the two ANBU on duty and opened the door, only to find an empty room and a very open secret passageway which led to the village shelters. The Hokage's blood went cold, his eyes widening.

The ANBU, noticing how the loud blond didn't yell out something, looked inside. They instantly moved to sweep the area, only sensing Naruto's chakra.

"Hokage-sama..." One began.

The Hokage shook his head, "Not a word to anyone, as of now, you are both assigned the A-rank mission of finding Naruto. You are bound by contract not to speak of your mission."

The ANBU looked at each other hesitantly, "But-"

Sarutobi glared at the man, silencing him, "Fulfil your orders or I will have you stripped of your rank and chakra. When you find him, bring him directly to my office."

The ANBU stiffened, nodded, then bolted down the hole after the escaping blond.

Sarutobi sighed and leaned against the wall, "Naruto, what were you thinking?"

Sarutobi reapplied the barrier and genjutsu over the floor and walked back to his office. He wasn't humming this time.

* * *

Kagemusha (body double): This jutsu requires a small amount of DNA to use. The user's body is then transformed into a perfect copy of the target's, right down to any ailments caused by aging tissue, or even strength granted by larger muscle size. Damage done by sources which are not based on the natural aging process do not appear, but can be added quite simply by the use of proper techniques. S rank. Requires a specific bloodline.


	6. The Void

Whew, long chap! I spent the three hours between school and choir rehearsal typing this in the library! Enjoy!

* * *

Byakko, the Hand that Heals  
Chapter 5  
The Void

Naruto stretched and basked in the sun as he exited the safe house.

A casual glance revealed that the village was still very much busy, and he had about two hours left before he should dare the trip home. Naruto never traveled during peak hours, there was usually too many hurled insults and objects involved for it to be comfortable. And of course there was the fact that he really didn't need to be doing anything at the moment.

Naruto turned around and began scaling the cliff wall, as he had many times before. Some people preferred the paths, but Naruto liked the thrill of danger that accompanied the treacherous climb up the side of the mountain. The safehouse was already half way up, and Naruto made good time, only about an hour, when he hit the top.

As he reached the top he gazed out over the village that he had been raised in. On reflection, there wasn't much that should inspire a love for this bustling town. Most of the civilians treated him like dirt, and all but a few of the ninja thought he would be better off dead, or even held a death grudge. Even the children his own age had cast him out, Naruto had been ostracized since he was a small child.

However, there were a few things that made this village worth the pain and suffering that he went through. The Hokage, Iruka, a few of the other ninja in training. These few things were what Naruto held so precious to him that he would endure the pain of discrimination and the hopelessness of every cold night.

Naruto's cerulean eyes sparkled as they narrowed, "Someday you're all going to respect me!"

Naruto's fierce whisper was carried away by the wind, unheard by the unwitting occupants of the village below.

_**'Then I suggest you keep a better eye out.'**_ Kyuubi interjected.

Naruto nodded and slowly pulled three shuriken out of his holster. He listened to the quiet whisper of the wind, and compensated for it.

Naruto spun around, the three shuriken fanning out. A glint of red flashed before his eyes and he hurled the projectiles at it. The clang of steel on steel reverberated for a second before a soft clapping interrupted Naruto's focus. A spinning Kunai with a red ribbon attached to it slammed into the ground, followed shortly after by Naruto's shuriken.

Naruto panted for a second, feeling the rush of adrenaline wear off quickly. A slender man stepped into view, revealing the source of the clapping. The man wore a loose gray robe, tied off by a red sash, his copper hair was offset by his green eyes, which were slit in a predatory smile. A elegant blade hung at his waist, the hilt studded with three clear gems. Naruto shivered slightly as the man showed his canines.

"Excellent technique young Naruto, tell me, has my old friend been teaching you tricks?" The man asked.

Naruto could literally feel Kyuubi bristling, _**'Naruto, you need to leave here. Now!'**_

The man put up a finger, "Just a second boy, let me guess, he's telling you to run?"

_**'Naruto!'**_ Kyuubi echoed.

Naruto dug in his heels, no matter how terrifying this man might become, he had to find out why Kyuubi feared him so much.

The man laughed, "A stubborn one eh? You know, you should really listen to your sensei."

Before Naruto could retort, the air around the man seemed to distort, and he was... gone.

"Not quite yet."

Naruto spun around, catching the blade in his open palm. He cried out in pain and dropped to one knee. Blood spilled onto the blade, running down it's length, then it slowly began to fade. From his position on the ground, Naruto stared at the edge he held in his hand as it greedily sucked on his wound.

"Do you like it?" The man asked innocently.

Naruto tore his hand away and scrabbled backwards, the man in hot pursuit, blade gleaming in the light of the sunset.

_**'Use your Kitsune Bi! It might give you a chance to run!'**_ Kyuubi cried out.

Naruto shuddered, _'I don't know how!'_

_**'Then just run, you cannot fight him here, not now!'**_

Naruto rolled left as the blade descended, getting his feet under him and propelling himself forward. He felt a sense of elation as he glanced over his shoulder to see the man just standing there, right up until his disappeared.

The air in front of Naruto distorted strangely, and a blade shot through, heading for his head. He ducked and wove, trying to avoid the distortion, but only succeeding in running into a hand with a vice-like grip. Naruto clawed at the hand as it raised him into the air.

"Tsk tsk, the Byakko have chosen such a weak herald, it makes me wonder where the Myobu are hiding theirs." The man mused, not even noticing Naruto's failed attempts to harm him, "Well, I'm done wasting my time with you child, send my regards to your ancestors."

The blade pulled back and plunged forward, only to falter aside, piercing Naruto's shoulder, Naruto and the man screamed out in pain as a blur of red slammed into the man's leg and began to ravage it. The blur resolved into Kyoki, who pulled away from the man's leg, snarling and staying low.

"Kyoki!" Naruto yelled through the haze of pain.

The sword tore itself from his shoulder as the man fell to one knee, causing Naruto to collapse completely as the man turning his vicious gaze towards the large fox. Kyoki went for the man's throat, but was stopped by a bone shattering punch to the head. The red fox sailed through the air and slammed into a nearby tree, sliding to the ground, eyes rolled up into the back of his head.

Naruto raised his head and watched as the fox got one foot under him, only for it to collapse. Kyoki used his other three legs to right himself, baring his bloodied fangs at Naruto's attacker.

"You will leave Byakko-sama alone!" He declared, stumbling as he tried once again to get his leg under himself.

The man stared for a second, then began a bout of howling laughter. Naruto pulled himself away from the man and tried to keep pressure on his wound as his white chakra danced over the injury.

_**'Now! While he's distracted!'**_ Kyuubi shot.

Naruto looked at Kyoki, whose leg appeared to be broken, _'I'm not leaving without Kyoki'_

_**'You will die here!' **_

_'I won't let this bastard kill my friend!'_

Kyuubi sighed within his cage, _**'Fine! Then find out how to summon your Kitsune Bi, and remember all the things I've taught you about fighting!'**_

Naruto's shoulder wound and hand were fully healed now, the white chakra having done it's part to remove the damage. Naruto skirted around the half crazed man who was still laughing like he was at a comedy skit.

He wiped some tears from his eyes, "Oh, that's too good! They send a _fox_ to protect you?! The arrogance of the Byakko, that one of them would not consent to assist you. Wonderful!"

Naruto ignored the man and dashed towards Kyoki. A sword appeared in front of his leg, cutting down to the shin bone as a fist slammed into his back, sending him flying through the air. Naruto's cry of pain was cut short by the ground as his face slammed into it, breaking his nose and filling his mouth with dirt.

The man silently strode past Naruto's still form and stood over the injured fox. Kyoki's fangs swiped out, but a brutal kick dislocated the fox's jaw, bringing a harsh, pained noise from within the fox's throat.

"They tell me that animals go to heaven." The man said, "Give them my best."

Naruto regained his senses enough to see the man raise his blade into the air, ready to deliver a killing strike. Kyoki shrunk back, but had nowhere to run to. Naruto planted one foot into the ground and hurled himself forward in a drunken lurch. The man dropped the sword down to his side and struck out, cutting Naruto through the clavicle and into his right lung. Pain raged through Naruto's body, and white chakra began to swell within him.

The man grimaced, "Now that's unfair, here, let me show you a trick."

Naruto felt a surge of chakra, then his own white chakra seemed to fade. He blinked and looked up, eyes blurred with blood and tears. He did not have the strength or breath to cry out as the man's now black eyes seemed to consume him.

A moment later, the man gasped, stumbled, then grinned at Naruto, who was still severely injured, and now could not summon his white chakra to assist himself. The blackness receeded from his eyes and he looked... paler for a moment, then he was returned to his old self. He yanked his blade out of Naruto's body, one of the jewels now showing bright red.

Naruto wheezed, then coughed up some blood. His body felt weaker than ever, even when he had been poisoned as a child.

_**'Hold on Naruto, this is going to hurt'**_ Kyuubi said.

Naruto braced himself for another blow from the outside, but this one came from within. A terrible rending feeling coiled out of his stomach, circling into his body and filling it with feverish heat. A haze of red chakra erupted from his body, sending the man stumbling back.

Naruto spoke with two voices, _**"You dare strike at me Nogitsune!"**_

Naruto felt the power of Kyuubi's chakra eating away at his young body, destroying him even as it heightened his raw potential. He could feel Kyuubi's rage settling over him, as Kyuubi spoke through his voice.

_**"Burn!"**_

Naruto raised his hand and a stream of flame spiraled out of it towards the man. The man's eyes turned black once again as he raised his hand towards the stream of fire, causing the air to funnel in strange shapes, sucking the flames into oblivion. Kyuubi growled and unleashed another burst of youki into Naruto's system to fuel the attack as the damage to Naruto's body reached critical levels.

The man's eyes flashed between black and green, and Naruto could see small tendrils of darkness creeping out of his eyes to cover his skin. The distortions in the air grew more crazed, and Kyuubi's attack still seemed to stop dead just before reaching it's target.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto felt Kyuubi's chakra falter, then disappear completely. The shell of red chakra around him evaporated, and he fell to the ground, no longer bleeding out of wounds that had been cauterized shut by the Kyuubi's chakra. The man closed his fist and breathed deeply, opening his eyes back to their natural green color, only for them to widen a second later as a kunai planted itself in his ribcage.

Two ANBU appeared in front of him, blades already moving. The man brought his own blade up, blocking both attacks, then once disappearing in a distortion which bent the air around him. The two ANBU readied their swords and waited, but sensed that the man had departed.

The two ANBU quickly turned to Naruto's still form. One picked up the boy gently and nodded to the other, both disappeared in a swirl of leaves, heading to the Hokage's office and the hospital respectively.

Kyoki watched from the shadows, feeling the throbbing pain in his body as Naruto was carried away by his pack mates. After he was certain it was marginally safe, Kyoki closed his eyes to oblivion.

XXXXXX

"What?!" Sarutobi yelled at the ANBU who had just finished giving his report.

The ANBU cringed slightly, "He's being treated as we speak Hokage-sama. His wounds were quite severe, but were all burned shut."

Sarutobi's gaze burned upon the ANBU, "And what exactly were you doing that took you an _hour_ to find a boy who's chakra signature is like the sun next to a candle?"

The ANBU set his jaw, "With all due respect Hokage, not even you would be able to sense Naruto's chakra signature, seeing as he has the ability to suppress it on a chuunin level at least. Not only that, but his assailant wasn't using any sort of chakra we could sense, his technique was completely silent."

The Hokage sighed, "Affiliation?"

The ANBU shook his head, "He wasn't wearing a hitai-ate, or a mark of any kind. All we know is that he was carrying this."

The ANBU handed Sarutobi a kunai with a red ribbon attached to it, "He was also wearing a sash of the same color and material. We think it may be a mark of rank in whatever organization he is a part of."

Sarutobi examined the ribbon closely. There were markings of some sort written on the material, but he could not understand them.

He sighed and handed the kunai back, "Take this to the code breaker's office, priority one."

The ANBU nodded and exited, only to be replaced by his companion a minute later.

"Report." Sarutobi snapped.

The ANBU bowed and held out a medical chart which he had hastily copied from the doctor's. Sarutobi examined it carefully and waited for a minute before the first ANBU returned. His eyes glinted dangerously at the first man.

"Why is it that Uzumaki Naruto appears to be suffering from chakra exhaustion, and you couldn't sense _Anything_!" Sarutobi began with a growing voice.

The second ANBU interjected on his partner's behalf, "Hokage-sama, I am just as perplexed by this as you are. The boy is covered by chakra burns, but all are from a foreign source, not his own. It's as if his chakra just... disappeared. His tenketsu aren't suffering from any of the usual signs of heavy use, although his hand looks like something tried to tear it's way out of his palm."

Sarutobi looked unimpressed, but glanced back down at the chart, only to have it confirm Naruto's condition. He sighed and set his hat on his desk, his anger dissipating as he continued to read the chart.

"Very well, you are both dismissed."

The two ANBU nodded and took the door out. Sarutobi finished the report and leaned back in his chair, pondering.

There were only two reasons why anyone would want to kill Naruto. The first was due to his status as the jinchuuriki of the nine-tails. Kyuubi was a powerful force which would eventually be harnessed by the young blond and used for the purpose of advancing Konoha's power, much like other countries used their jinchuurikis. Killing him while he was young would be a good way to destabilize the investment that Konoha had made, and paid for with their fourth hokage. Of course, with the way the villagers treated him, it was more like they were kicking an active volcano, tempting it to explode at any moment.

Why not just kidnap him? Or better yet, show him kindness and lure him away. There was not much which held Naruto down to Konoha. He had little of material value, and no parents. It could be said that he didn't even have any real friends. If someone could infiltrate Konoha and cozy up to him, he would easily come with them.

Which left the second reason. Somebody knew about his heritage. Sarutobi only had to make one guess about which country would want the progeny of Minato dead, Iwa. With the massive casualties inflicted by "The Yellow Flash," the shinobi of Iwagakure would find special joy in killing off the last heir of that man.

Sarutobi wasn't exactly surprised by this news. A person merely had to look at the boy to realize that he was at least related to Minato, let alone his son. He was surprised that Naruto himself hadn't made the connection, but of course, Naruto wasn't known for being the brightest bulb in the box. All it would take is for a foreign diplomat, or a visiting shinobi to catch a glimpse of him to spread rumors to Iwa about his existence.

Aside from the reasons for Naruto being attacked, there was also one more disturbing issue. The Kyuubi.

The ANBU reported having sensed a malicious chakra in the area, and had cut off their search to check it out. The ANBU had seen a pillar of flame being engulfed by the air itself, then Naruto collapsing. They hadn't wasted any time with questions, and had attacked the man immediately. According to the fact that Naruto had probably been using the Kyuubi on his assailant, and that he was still standing, indicated that it was probably a good idea to shoot first and ask questions later.

If the ANBU's report was accurate, then Naruto had somehow learned to harness the power of Kyuubi's fire to unleash a deadly attack. Sarutobi was most worried about this, not because of Naruto getting stronger, but by the fact that in using the fox's power, he was invariably exposing himself to it's influence. The Kyuubi was a natural disaster which was filled with malicious intent, and Sarutobi wasn't willing to bet his villages safety on the fact that Naruto would be able to control the Kyuubi once he unleashed it.

Sarutobi needed a solution, and he knew of only one man who could provide one.

A pen and scroll found it's way into the aging Hokage's hands, and he began to pen a letter to his perverted student.

XXXXXX

In a land far from Konoha, the air distorted strangely in an underground cavern.

Naruto's assailant stepped out of the tear and it closed immediately, shutting light off from the cavern once again. The man knelt and awaited his master's words.

"So Yatsuko, you have failed me..." came a sibilant voice.

Yatsuko raised his head, "Not exactly my master."

Yatsuko sensed his master's curiosity, and impatience. He quickly drew his blade and held it out, revealing the two clear crystals, and the one blood red one. A chilling laugh filled the cavern as Yatsuko's master examined the stone.

"It shall have to do for now, you know where to take it, go."

Yatsuko nodded, and the air around him warped and he was gone.

The darkness shifted in anticipation.

XXXXXX

Naruto's whole body hurt.

He groaned in pain as he finally struggled to the surface of his consciousness, suddenly wishing that he could go back. A small squeak interrupted his self pity and he looked over to find a small dark haired girl sitting by his bed. This image did not compute, so Naruto put it down to the Hallucinogenic properties of the IV drip that was inserted into his arm. He groaned again and felt how much his body really hurt, and it hurt a surprisingly large amount.

Naruto was well acquainted with pain, it had been a fact of his life for pretty much his whole life. However, he was always used to going to sleep and having everything be better in the morning. In fact, this would be the first time he had woken up in hospital and didn't really feel like escaping. Not that he wouldn't try anyway.

_**'Ease up kid, you almost died. You're body isn't going to heal as fast as usual because you have no chakra, and your cells are already saturated with mine, so my regeneration abilities won't work until you can purge whatever is in their with your own. I'd give it two days tops.'**_ Kyuubi said.

Naruto groaned again. Two days of sitting here!

"Uhm... N-n-naruto?" squeaked out his hallucination.

Naruto shrugged, trying to humor his drug laden mind, "Yes?"

"The H-hokage was here ealier... he told y-you not to try to e-e-escape this time. H-h-he also said to g-give you this." muttered the girl, gesturing to a stack of scrolls and books in the corner.

Naruto groaned, schoolwork. He felt like he was groaning a bit too much today. At least he knew that the girl was real now, no hallucination of his own would _dare_ to give him homework. He would banish it in an instant.

"What are you doing here, um, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata turned into a human tomato, "I w-w-was j-j-just passing b-by, and I saw y-y-you. The Hokage n-n-needed someone t-to give these to y-y-you."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, "I see, well, thanks Hinata-chan! You can go home now, I'm sure watching my dying body wasn't very exciting."

Hinata blushed even further, but didn't comment. Instead, she made a beeline for the door before she fainted in front of the blond pre-ninja. Naruto shrugged as she left his line of sight, and reached over to the first scroll on the stack.

_Chakra control_

Naruto blinked. This was actually an interesting subject, or at least, a useful one. _Nothing_ taught in the academy was interesting or useful, besides physical exercise and the three basic techniques. This wasn't homework.

A small note dropped out of the scroll as he opened it, it had the familiar writing style of his favorite person in the whole village.

_Naruto, seeing as how you have the time to break into the tower's secured locations, get attacked, and almost assassinated, I've decided to start you on an advanced training regimen. I expect a monthly report and marked improvement.  
-Sarutobi Hiruzen_

Naruto blinked, and almost cheered. Finally, some real ninja learning, not the stupid things they taught in the academy. He was excited beyond belief.

After browsing through the pile of scrolls and books, he was even more thrilled, most of the things in here were in the genin and chuunin restricted sections of the library. He opened up the scroll on chakra control and began to devour it greedily. The first exercise was one that was foreign to him.

_'Hey fox! Why didn't you teach me how to stick and move leaves over my body?!'_ Naruto yelled in his head.

_**'Let's see... Because I didn't know about it!'**_ Kyuubi retorted.

Naruto snorted, _'Says here it's a basic chakra control exercise.'_

_**'And your a stupid gaki.'**_

_'So much for all knowing...'_

_**'I'll have you know that chakra control exercises vary from nation to nation. Besides, I thought you could handle a level 1 chakra control exercise rather than a level 0. Was I too generous in my assumptions?'**_

_'Shut up!'_

Naruto heard the Kyuubi snigger and fall silent.

"Baka." He muttered under his breath as he continued reading.

An hour later he had read most of the scroll, and was now trying to stick Sarutobi's note to his forehead, and doing quite well for that matter. He had gotten to swirling it around when he felt a strange lethargy come over him.

"What the..." Naruto began, then fell back.

_**'Oooooh, fuzzy. That's the evening dose of painkillers, you should feel awesome for a bit.'**_ Kyuubi noted.

"Hey Kyuubi, the ceiling is so pretty, look at all the little cracks in it." Naruto began, then giggled, "Heh, I said cracks. They're like mushrooms."

_**'I think they may have overdone it, then again, a normal person would still be in excruciating pain.'**_

"Heh, you said pain." Naruto giggled.

_**'This is going to get old reeeaaalll quick.'**_

"Hey, you're old!" Naruto slurred out, "Only old people are so red and fuzzy, and shiny. Mmmmm, furry. My bed feels like it's make of liquid honey."

Kyuubi thumped his head on his prison walls, _**'Great, I'm in the mind of a kid who just got high...'**_

Naruto giggled again and started waving his hands in the air, then poked his stomach.

"Hey, you in there? I'm like... knocking on your door fuzzy. My hands are purple enough to touch you."

_**'Ok, call me fuzzy again and I kill you. I think somebody is messing with your meds, do me a favor and look over at the plastic bag that's dripping into your arm.'**_

Naruto looked at it and stumbled over the name.

Kyuubi growled, _**'Don't they know that oxycontin reacts with youki to form a powerful hallucinogen? Naruto, this village is full of idiots.'**_

"The ramen is marching!"

_**'And apparently you're the biggest one of them all. Hold on, I'm putting you to sleep.'**_

Naruto pouted, "Awww, but I liked the hippopotmuses.... erm, hippopotomi?"

_**'Good night.'**_

"If I had savory salmon I would snack your sleep."

XXXXXX

"And you don't know who he was?"

Naruto shook his head, standing, for once, at attention in the Hokage's office. It was slightly unnerving to see the boy, now clad in a white t-shirt with Konoha's symbol on it and a pair of blue cargo pants, actually paying attention.

"And the power you felt before?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't really know what it was, but it saved my butt, so I'm happy to have it."

Sarutobi sighed, "Power is a burden Naruto, always remember that. All power comes at a price, sometimes too high to pay."

Naruto nodded sagely, "I see, so does that mean being old is the price for your power?"

Sarutobi's eye twitched and Naruto laughed. Sarutobi was glad to hear it, if Naruto's personality had been altered, he would have had to detain him. As it was, he had very little manpower to devote to finding out exactly what happened up on the Hokage monument, let alone keeping a young boy with exceptional stealth skills under close watch. As it was, there was a standing order among all ANBU and Jounin to keep a close eye on Uzumaki Naruto wherever he went.

Naruto had just finished his debriefing, and was ready to go, but Sarutobi had one more... surprise up his sleeve.

"Oh yes, I've also found you a... teacher." Sarutobi said.

Naruto cringed, "I don't like it when you say it like that."

Sarutobi had his turn to grin now, "Maito Gai, I think you might remember him, blinding teeth? Green Spandex?"

Naruto shuddered, Sarutobi continued, "He has agreed to mentor you in taijutsu when he is not performing missions. In fact, I believe he has some time tomorrow morning during his own, ehem, training."

Naruto remembered the power behind that door, and was a little worried about what kind of 'training' he would be receiving.

"Anyways, good luck, I'll expect your first report in a month." Sarutobi said with a smile, "Don't forget you have academy classes tomorrow as well. Lot's of catching up to do!"

Naruto trudged out of the office like a condemned man. His memories of the green clad jounin were not especially good, and something in his gut told him he was going to have a lot worse of an opinion later. Not to mention the fact that he was _still_ enrolled in the academy.

As Naruto crossed the threshold of the Hokage tower, a sudden thought struck him with staggering force.

Kyoki.

Naruto blinked, then took off at a run, moving to the rooftops. He was fairly sure that he set a chakra unaided rooftop speed record in his haste.

The Hokage monument loomed over him in less than fifteen minutes. He didn't even bother to prepare himself for a climb, but instead ran straight at the surface. Chakra swelled through his feet as he focused what little of his reserves he had been able to recover into a surface which would allow him to adhere to the cliff wall.

Naruto had never tried running up rock, and it was considerably harder than wood, but he was able to adapt quickly to prevent himself from falling to his untimely death. About half way up, his chakra failed, and he was forced to hang on for dear life, feet scrabbling and hands reaching for nearby handholds. A few moments later, he was slinging himself up the side of the mountain by muscle strength alone, and found himself at the top in less than ten minutes due to his death defying speed.

"Kyoki!" He yelled.

Naruto dashed towards the forest, opening his senses, searching for his companion.

_**'Slow down Naruto, you could run right past him at this pace. Relax, let my senses guide you."**_

Naruto heeded Kyuubi's warning and stopped. He cast aside his own feeble senses in favor of the fox's more acute ones. The world around him seemed to sharpen, he could feel the light touch of the breeze shifting through the trees, the stream nearby babbled a song of serenity to his heart, and the evening sun cast a warm glow about him. Naruto reveled in the sensation for a second before getting down to business.

Naruto focused on his nose, trying to sniff out the scent of blood. He found it, quickly.

He followed his nose back to the site of the battle, guided by the scent of his own blood. He scanned the area with his eyes, and found a pool of blood under the shade of one of the trees. Naruto moved closer, reading the impressions on the ground.

It appeared as if Kyoki had stayed here for two days, then moved on, probably not an hour ago. Naruto examined the tracks, finding others overlapping those of his friend. Without further thought, Naruto took off, following his fox's nose towards his target. Before long, he heard the sounds of growling and scuffling.

Naruto burst into a clearing, and stumbled back at the sight before him. One of the tigers from the forest of death had apparently gotten out, and was trying to get at Kyoki, who had taken refuge in under the roots of one of Konoha's larger trees.

The tiger was a massive specimen, over eight feet in length and taller than Naruto in height. If Naruto weren't so busy being horrified and angered he might have actually enjoyed the majesty of the mighty creature. As it was, he would have to find a way to get rid of it before it ate his friend.

Naruto took cover, even though the creature was distracted with Kyoki, he didn't want to take his chances of also getting turned into a snack for later. He ran his mind through what little he knew about fighting and his general ninja skills.

"Yeah, none of this is going to work..." Naruto said to himself, "Kyuubi?"

_**'Sorry kid, I can't help you until you've purged your system of my chakra, unless you wanna go back to the hospital for a year'**_

"Right, last resort then." Naruto said, "Then what do I know..."

A light bulb literally flashed to life over Naruto's head, "Of course, it's genius!"

_**'What is'**_ Kyuubi asked.

"Shhh, he'll hear you." Naruto hissed.

_**'I'm a VOICE IN YOUR FREAKING HEAD!!!' **_Kyuubi roared

Naruto ignored Kyuubi's rant and put his awesome plan into action.

XXXXXX

Naruto sat about half way up tree in which Kyoki was hiding, and beginning to fail to hide in. The cat was getting smarter, going claw first instead of face first. Of course, Kyoki was biting it whenever it tried anything, so Naruto still had some time.

Naruto drew a fist sized stone out of his pockets, which he had loaded with all sorts of natural and crafted projectiles, from sharp sticks to a strange mushroom he had found. Kyuubi had commented about drug users when he had picked the mushroom, but Naruto had ignored him.

Naruto took careful aim at the cat and launched the stone.

A loud yowl filled the air as the rock connected with the tiger's head, causing it to swing it's baleful eyes up at Naruto's grinning form.

"Hey kitty! Come and get me!!" Naruto yelled, hurling another rock.

The cat complied, bunching it's powerful muscles and launching itself halfway up to Naruto's position before stalking it's way up, gouging huge chunks of wood out of the trunk. Naruto continued to pelt the cat with projectiles before abandoning his post and jumping to another nearby tree and leisurely walking down it, still pelting the cat with his improvised weapons.

"Heh, stupid cat, cat's can't climb down from trees." Naruto said.

_**'Um... Naruto.'**_ Kyuubi began.

"Not now, later! I'm basking." Naruto said as he coaxed Kyoki out from under the tree's roots.

Kyoki's eyes were filled with gratitude, "You came for me! I knew you would."

Naruto grinned and lifted the fox over his shoulder, "Uffah, you weigh a lot. Don't worry, I won't ever let you down Kyoki."

_**'Naruto, please look up.'**_

Naruto obliged him, and found himself staring at a massive cat who was ready to pounce on him from a branch of the tree he had 'caught' it in.

_**'What's the next part.'**_

_'What do you mean next part?'_

_**'The plan baka, what's the next part where we get away?'**_

_'Well, I hadn't planned that far ahead, you see, I was under the impression that cats can't climb down trees.'_

_**'BAKA! That's not a cat, that's a tiger, it'll just jump down'**_

_'No way, look, he's not jumping.'_

Indeed, the cat seemed to be fixed on Naruto, but was not jumping. Instead, it seemed to be... measuring.

_**'RUN!'**_

Naruto didn't need any more encouraging. He plunged headfirst into the underbrush as the tiger executed a leap onto the area which he had just been standing in.

_**'You are such a BAKA!'**_ Kyuubi roared.

"Shut up and help me run!" Naruto yelled, sprinting for dear life.

The tiger recovered from it's leap, having landed rather heavily after missing it's intended target. It turned and pursued it's meal, quickly gaining on the burdened Naruto.

"Naruto-sama, lots of ninja use trees to move quicker, why not do that?" Kyoki suggested.

"I don't know how!" Naruto yelled, feeling the fetid breath of the tiger closing in on him.

_**'Now's a good time to learn!'**_ Kyuubi called out.

Naruto channeled chakra into his feet and sprinted up the side of one of the trees, leaving massive gouges in the bark in his hurry, the tiger followed in hot pursuit, barely missing Naruto with it's first leap. Naruto got himself situated on a branch and began looking for a likely candidate to jump to as the tiger clawed it's way to the top.

Breathing heavily, Naruto launched himself towards a likely target, landing heavily and nearly falling off completely, even with chakra to hold him on to the bark. The tiger roared and leaped after him, scrabbling to a stop a few yards away from Naruto's position. Naruto stared at it wide eyed before forcing his tired muscles to get him to another branch.

"This isn't working guys, I can't keep going like this. I've just been injured twice! Give me a break!" Naruto yelled at the air.

"Set me down and go!" Kyoki said.

Naruto shook his head, "No! I won't sacrifice you to save myself, hold on."

Naruto leaped to another branch as the tiger came crashing down on his previous location.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Naruto shouted through panting breaths.

_**'Oh boy...'**_ Kyuubi thought.

"Kyoki, stay here." Naruto said, placing him up against the junction between the trunk and the branch.

Naruto ran out further along until he reached a suitable spot, then hurled more projectiles at the cat, who was regaining it's balance.

"Over here fuzzy! Yeah, look, nice human! We're good and tasty!" Naruto yelled, pelting the creature with stones.

The cat roared and leaped for him, expecting to carry them both off of the tree. Naruto allowed the cat to slam into him, but strengthened the chakra holding him to the tree. Naruto spun around the branch a couple times, sporting some shredded clothing and a few cuts, but was otherwise fine.

The cat on the other hand, it's momentum unhindered, took a face plant right into the tree a couple yards behind Naruto, crumpling to the forest floor in a daze.

Naruto picked up Kyoki slung him over his shoulder again.

"Let's get out of here!" He said.

Naruto dashed away from the cat while it still lacked the senses to chase after him.

XXXXXX

Sarutobi watched as Naruto ran from the tiger through his crystal ball, allowing a chuckle to escape his lips. Naruto was ever the trickster, and definitely the most surprising ninja that Konoha had. Where had he learned to tree walk? And where had he found such a large fox?

Luckily for Naruto, Sarutobi couldn't hear any of his words, so his monologue to the Kyuubi wasn't recorded.

* * *

Man, two updates in one week?

This must be what little Kuriboh feels like right now...

No new techniques that you know of... Or I want you to know of.


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